


The Brat

by HeliosAlpha



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Everyone loves a fancy party, F/M, I never intended for this to be this long, Just another what-if kind of scenario, Light Dom/sub, Masturbation, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Porn With Plot, Restraints, Sex Toys, Spanking, an awful lot of exposition delivered via text message conversations, and yet here we are, authority kink, quite a lot of plot as it turns out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:01:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 70,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21673366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeliosAlpha/pseuds/HeliosAlpha
Summary: What if Demeter hadn't raised Kore in the mortal realm?Kore, the latest goddess to make her debut into Olympian society, has already made a name for herself in the press. Spoilt, entitled and tempestuous, Kore meets her match when she crosses paths with Hades: notoriously cold, distant and feared. They make an arrangement that will benefit them both - but is that all their involvement is?
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Comments: 330
Kudos: 795





	1. The Panathenaea

**Author's Note:**

> With all of my thanks to MissT from the discord server for betaing this chapter for me. What an angel. ❤️

Talk. 

Talk, talk talk. That's all it was with his brothers: a constant pissing contest. Everything was measured; weighted just so as to evoke ire in another brother. You would think, Hades contemplated, that after hundreds of years of this, it would get old. And yet. The older they seemed to grow, the more Zeus particularly seemed to enjoy flexing his metaphorical muscles. 

What was it this time? Yet another illicit conquest? A joke about a golden shower, it seemed, and he gritted his teeth as he endured a comradely clap on the back from his youngest brother. He grimaced, hoping it would be mistaken for a smile. He rolled his eyes, swirled his cognac. Just another hour or so and he could say his goodbyes and slink back home to the cool, blessed dark of the Underworld. Away from various deities, major and minor, swanning around, using this annual party to show off something or other new and exciting. A new lover. A new tattoo. For some, it was their premiere into 'society.' Hades sniffed at the very premise. Society. Culture. There was more culture in yoghurt than in the various ingrates swarming the free bar.

_ Breathe.  _

He reflected that his dour mood may be darkening his evaluation of the scenario at hand. It was only a party, after all. While they may not be designed with his comfort in mind, that didn't mean that they weren't important to the myriad entities socialising, networking and laughing gaily under the low, undulating lights of the bar. It was an opportunity to be seen by many, the newcomers thrilling to hear their names announced by the herald on their way in, and delighting to rub shoulders with the elite, for just one night. Silly, perhaps. Inconsequential, to his mind. And yet, there was no need to tar all with the same brush. 

"Oh, man. Look who's making her debut." Zeus elbowed Hades and smirked disparagingly at the newest entrants to the party. "Demeter's brat." He turned, leaning against the glass balustrade of the VIP area and surveying the entrance across the club. 

Kore. 

He knew her name: who didn't? She was a young, wilful thing - twenty-one years old, beautiful and  _ terrible. _ The various gossip rags had made their fortune in documenting the histrionics of Kore, Goddess of Spring. This year alone, she had thrown a milkshake over Apollo, had three photographers fired from their respective papers, and been ejected from the Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood in a blaze of self-righteous glory. The latter was reported on in the press as a teen-esque temper tantrum, but Hades? Well, he knew Hestia. He didn’t blame young Kore for cutting and running as soon as she could.

Truthfully, he reflected, he didn’t blame her for any of those things. He quite enjoyed reading about her in the tabloids when she’d done something to evoke the ire of the establishment. Her youthful, furious vivacity and utter disregard for  _ what people would say _ landed her in hot water regularly, but Gaia, if she didn’t make an impressive mark on Olympus.

The other things, like spending hideous sums of money in shopping sprees and garnering a record number of followers on Nymstagram in a month, he was less impressed by. She embraced the spoilt brat stereotype with open arms, referring to herself as an heiress in this interview, a princess in that exclusive. The old guard, in attempting to rectify the mistakes of their parents, had a lot to answer for in the way they had raised their young.

Tonight, she wore her hair shaved close to her head on one side, reflecting (if not spearheading, if her follower count was to be believed) current youth fashion. The delicate little shell of her ear was punctured through again and again, adorned with hoops and studs and glistening trinkets. Charming in its way, he supposed. And there truly was no denying her beauty. Pretty, pouting lips, dark eyes fanned with long, fluttering lashes. Curvaceous, graceful, slight in stature. Impossibly tiny feet in impossibly high heels. He cleared his throat and looked guiltily towards his brothers, knowing what it would mean were he caught staring. They were engrossed in conversation. He returned to his prior observations, resting his folded arms on the handrail.

Kore cocked her head daintily, smiling sweetly to hear her own name announced by the herald, among others of her cohort. Artemis: the austere huntress who remained close to her little friend at all times, even after Kore’s supposed hysteria fuelled expulsion from the Goddesses of Eternal Maidenhood. Antheia: a friend of convenience, it seemed, garden Goddess and thoroughly impressed by Kore's chaos and impulsivity. Iris, Maia, Pheme, Kotis, Astraea - Hades dispassionately watched the bright young things wending their way towards the bar at the foot of the stairs. Most of them were known to him, some as of yet a mystery. He smiled wryly. Despite their efforts to avoid him and his realm, all come to know the end, eventually. 

He was yanked from his introspection by Poseidon's fury over a guest. A mortal guest, no less, and as Zeus bellowed his uproarious laughter and Poseidon made vulgar gestures down from the mezzanine at the thing below, it scurried through the crowd, backing into the outstretched hand of Kore. 

Not just into her hand, but into the precariously held _ drink _ , sloshing the entire thing down her front. 

The simmering chatter across the room turned to ice as she shrieked her dismay. "Are you for real? Augh!" she slammed her purse down on a nearby table, before blotting ineffectually at her saturated dress with a cloth procured by one of her entourage in moments. 

As if the fates were conspiring to play a cruel joke on him, this beautiful creature stood - wrathful, terrible - clenching both fists, eyes incarnadine. The gauzy material of her gown clung to her curves, hugging rounded hips and glistening as it bunched at her nipped waist. Hades loathed himself, as his eyes, disobedient and hedonistic, tracked a single droplet of liquid that trickled between her breasts and down beneath the semi-sheer bodice.  _ Breathe, old man, _ he thought to himself. An unbidden thought struck him, of chasing that droplet with his tongue, and he bit the inside of his cheek in silent atonement. 

"My lady, I can only apologise -" the mortal began, dropping to his knees before her, trembling. 

"Haven't you made enough immortals angry at you for one lifetime, Odysseus? Jeez! I'm drenched!" Red thorns made an appearance from underneath her hair. Her entourage took a step back.

Hades raised an eyebrow. Yes, she was furious, but  _ she knew his name. _ What call would a minor goddess of seasons have to know the names of mortals? Hades had no idea who the creature was, and here she stood, talking to him as if he were a peer. 

The newly named Odysseus cringed, reaching out to pick up the shattered glass with trembling hands. She huffed crossly, her intense, dreadful aspect dissolving as quickly as it had arrived. She kneeled beside him and swatted his hands away. "Oh, don't be so foolish, you'll cut yourself. Go on, shoo." He beat a hasty retreat, throwing a thumbs up in recognition of her "It was a Sex on the Beach, by the way!"

The party resumed, unfazed by the brief intermission. But still, Hades was glued to the young goddess before him, picking up shards of glass. Piling the biggest fragments into one carefully cupped palm, she stood and looked around - a deer in headlights for a moment, all heads faced away from her and she looked out across the room of strangers, entirely alone. His insides clenched with empathy as he glanced around himself; seemingly infinite backs turned to him. Only Hades still watched Kore, and the unsure look took on the quality of a prey animal, coming to the realisation that it is not alone within the deep, dark woods. 

Hades raised his glass to her, commiserating. He hoped she caught his meaning - not predatory, simply the only two individuals not embroiled in conversation with others. A strange melancholy twisted her features. She gave him a confusing look: too exposed, too vulnerable. She wrung her hands in front of her chest, attempting vainly to hide her stained dress. Little flowers bloomed in her hair. It lasted for a whisper of a moment, before a girl touched her elbow and the gossamer connection between the two of them evaporated. 

She smiled too widely. Kore became herself again, crowd pleaser; tabloid princess, catching his eye one more time and sending him a sultry, blistering glance; more for the benefit of her company than for his. They chittered, outraged at her impropriety and impressed by her gall, guiding her into the crowd and disappearing her from view. The last he saw of her was a forgiving kiss bestowed upon Odysseus, as he replaced her drink. The mortal turned crimson and scuttled away, and when he turned to look for Kore again, the crowd had swallowed her up. A pity.

He found his dour mood returned upon him, announcing itself like an unwanted, yet expected guest. He grappled with his feelings. Irritation at her fickle nature, or simply her brash, cocky youth? Frustration at his own loneliness, and shame at still being stood up, at his age? It made no odds. He drained his drink and dove into conversation with little-felt fervour, making a distant effort to entertain his brothers with some off-colour comments. 

That instant of melancholy stayed with him, however, as he swung himself into his car. He probed his own mind, sifting through his neuroses, trying to garner some clue as to why one single look from a pretty young thing had staggered him so strangely. 

His mind was not the place that had needed immediate closer inspection, he realised with mounting horror as he drove home. A slow, sleepy breath oozed over his shoulder from the back seat, followed by a whimper. He steeled himself, adjusting the rear view mirror to peek into the rear of his car, and his mouth went dry in panic. Her hair was long and pooled beneath her, errant strands sticking to her face. She curled in on herself, her arms crowded tight against her chest, her knees tucked up to her chin. 

"Kore?" Hades gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands. This was outrageous. This was a vile trick played on the both of them by someone who would pay dearly.  _ Breathe.  _

She garbled something incoherent from the back seat and moaned. 

"I'll take you home," he said aloud, deciding more for himself than telling her his intentions. 

"No!" she sat up blearily, clapping his shoulder with one ungainly hand. "Mama, she… No, I can't go home." Her words slurred. She wobbled as he turned a corner. 

"Your mama will want you home, safe."

"No," came the fervent response. "Please."

He hissed between his teeth, irritated. He caught sight of her eyes, deerlike and imploring. She rested her chin on his shoulder. 

"Then which friend's house can I take you to, sweet one, if you won't go home?" 

"I won't go home?  **You** won't go home," she teased, pressing her cheek against him. She was back. The moment of tender vulnerability evaporated, and the tabloid princess chuckled alluringly into his neck. Prickling under her touch, he leaned away from her, pressing his lips into a disapproving line. 

"I can't go home, little goddess, because I have to take  _ you _ home, first."

"So go home. Take  _ me _ home," she hummed, her eyes fluttering closed. He swallowed thickly.  _ Breathe,  _ he reminded himself, before she fell clumsily forward: he braked sharply for the traffic signal he hadn't even seen turn red, and his heart jumped into his throat. 

Hades turned and helped her lie down in the back seat, carefully bundling her up underneath his jacket. She scowled, nestling in underneath it, breathing a small sigh of… Something. 

He reasoned that it made sense. Her friends were all still at the party. She was an adult who didn't need returning to her mother's doorstep, like some child drunk beyond all measure, on the night of her debut. She needed to be permitted to make her own mistakes, and by all accounts, it was clear that Demeter hadn't been able to let Kore learn the consequences of her own actions. 

Kore grumbled drowsily. He cast a guilty glance at her. She was frowning in her sleep, her brow knitted together. Her little hands fisted the fabric of his jacket in her sleep. Her pretty, pouting lips were pinched into a little moue of desperate unhappiness, the melancholy he had spotted in her earlier that night rising to the fore. A mirror image of that melancholy, it seemed, that twisted within his own chest.  _ Consequences be damned,  _ he thought, pulling up outside his front door.  _ We were pretty much here anyway. _


	2. The Hangover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is unbetad. Mergh.

Kore woke up to her mouth feeling as if she'd been chewing moss for a decade. She rolled out of an unfamiliar bed and sat very still for a moment, holding her pounding head together as she vainly attempted to remember the events of the night before.

A car door slamming. An ignition. A sound of a deep voice. An ear pressed to a stranger’s chest. 

Yanking her misbehaving hemline down over her hips, Kore screwed her eyes shut and cringed, remembering flashes of being carried to bed by someone. Remembering her heels being taken off by someone. A glass of water being held to her lips, and her head cradled by a huge, callused hand. 

She slipped her feet back into her shoes and stifled a little whimper of pain. Nope, not happening again for a while. She clasped them loosely by the heels and padded along the hallways, bundling her hair up under one arm and grumbling to herself. It was about time she dipped out of this cold, creepy house. 

Well, not creepy, really, she amended mentally. Pretty nice, actually, just… clinical. Not homely. Her mind turned to her own room at home with mama, full to the brim with potted plants and throw pillows. 

Mama. Oh shit. 

Kore guiltily checked her phone. 

_ 58 missed calls _

_ 18 new voicemails _

_ 22 messages  _

Oh, shit. 

She pulled up her missed call log. 

_ Mama Bear 🌾 (25) _

_ Artemis 🏹 (4) _

_ Mama Bear 🌾 (29) _

She'd have to go through and delete all of the voicemails later. But she could deal with some of the texts for now. 

_ Eros 💕: BABY WHERE ARE YOU _

_ Eros 💕: you were tanked last night and your moms is going apeshit lol  _

_ Eros 💕: she even called me 😨 I didnt deserve that lolllll…let her know ur ok 💓 _

Yikes. She'd deal with that later. Her group chat hadn't kicked off, yet. They were likely all still asleep. She thanked the fates for small mercies. 

Pottering down long corridors, Kore began to think that she had ended up somewhere quite grand, entirely by mistake. Had she not been so dreadfully hungover, she would have investigated more thoroughly. 

Pouting, she skulked towards the enticing smell of fresh coffee. She doubted her ability to slink out of the house without some form of awkward morning small talk, since her fruitless searching had turned up no doors and no convenient windows to sneak out of. Inhaling deeply, she braced herself to make awkward conversation with whichever good Samaritan had thought to take care of her last night, but clearly not thought hard enough to actually take her  _ home _ .

She peered around the door of the kitchen to see a broad-shouldered figure sat at a table. He was smoking, reading a paper, and drinking coffee, seemingly simultaneously. Kore smirked to herself. Impressive… If you liked that sort of thing.

This just wouldn’t do. She silently forced herself back into her heels, wincing as the balls of her feet screamed in protest. She couldn’t do much about the hair, but at least she would be  _ slightly _ taller for this encounter. She watched him.

The stranger had a shock of fair hair, left longer in front - similar to a style she herself favoured. She tended to card her hands through her own hair, to touch it and tug on her locks when she was thinking, or worried, or...at a loss for what to do, really. She wondered whether this stranger’s hair felt the same, as he placed his coffee cup on the table, threw his glasses down and replicated this exact motion himself. As if he could read her thoughts. A large, callused hand thumbed at the wiry hairs at the nape of his neck. His forearm, blue, crossed with scars, flexed as he idly scratched behind his ear. 

With mounting horror she began to put the pieces together. 

All of the windows that she had peered through looked up into a starless sky. The house itself, abysmally cold. She crept forward, drawn by some awful compulsion, to get a better look at her would-be rescuer, only to be met by the menacing growl of an unfathomably large dog, growing in size with every second. She stilled as her mind finished the calculations and helpfully offered up the information she had been so evidently failing to acknowledge up until this moment, as the stranger-no-longer turned to face her.

_ Mama’s gonna be so mad at me,  _ she thought, meeting the eye of the King of the Third Realm, Lord of the Dead, Holy Judge and Gaoler.

The Guardian of the Gate loomed over her now, maw open, dripping strings of spittle down into her hair. She stepped backward cautiously - and yelped as an ankle gave way and she clattered to the floor.

Hades leapt to his feet, crossing the kitchen in three strides. He held his hand out to Kore, apologising profusely. Even Cerberus looked sheepish, peering down at her from a much reduced height. Kore scowled at him, clumsily clambering to her feet by herself, ignoring his outstretched hand.

“Didn’t feel like calling your dog off, your Majesty?” she snapped, brushing dog hair from her dress.

His eyes narrowed. “He’s just doing his job.”

“Of course  _ he _ was,” she responded coolly, meeting his frosty gaze. “He’s just doing what you tell him to do, he’s a good dog. It’s you that’s the jerk.” She marched past him to take a seat opposite his own at the breakfast table. His mouth fell open despite himself as she kicked her heels off, affecting a casual, irritated air, belied by the blotchy crimson blush starting at her temples and making its way down her neck into her decolletage. He tactfully ignored it, looking away from her. An awkward moment hung in the air.

“Hey. C’mere.” His head jerked back to her and the question was on his lips, as her eyes moved away from her own outstretched arms and flicked up to him. “Not you. Him.” She clucked her tongue at Cerberus encouragingly, and he  _ went to her. _ “Don’t like being snuck up on, huh, buddy?” She scratched the top of his head, which was bowed guiltily before her. His tail tentatively wagged, low and remorseful. Hades blinked uncomprehendingly. The little goddess before him paid him no mind, instead smiling blissfully at his  _ dog _ , leaning into him, passing her arms underneath his head and running her fingers through the fur of his neck and throat. “No, I’m sorry, boy,” she murmured soothingly, pressing her head to his neck. He nestled his huge head into her shoulder and whuffed appreciatively.

Hades eventually managed to muster up a comment. “Some guard dog you are!”  _ Stupid _ , he seethed internally.

She glared up at him. “So you admit not calling him off, then. Some host you are.”

It was his turn to look sheepish. “I, er. Wasn’t quick enough. Sorry.”

She glowered. “Not really feeling the warm welcome for a guest in your realm, O Lord of the Dark Places.” He grimaced as she held his gaze. “I’ll gladly accept recompense, however.” 

“Huh?” he countered, intelligently.

“Coffee. Sugar, almond milk.”

He gaped at the infuriating creature in front of him, who leaned across the table, almost spilling out of her dress, to flick through his paper. He had all sorts of questions - what was her right? Who did she think she was, to command him so?

“I don’t have almond milk. Just regular.”

Her dark eyes appeared over the top of his paper. “Then regular will do.”

He complied, setting a coffee down on the table in front of her in short order. She picked it up - no word of thanks - and drank experimentally. She smiled, then, after what felt like an age, and Hades felt himself instinctively returning the expression.

“You’re not a guest, by the way,” he ventured, gently lifting his paper from her grasp. She grumbled, before reluctantly returning it to its original owner.

“Oh? So I’m what, a prisoner?”

“More of an interloper,” he responded serenely, leaning back in his chair and picking up his forgotten cigarette from the ashtray. He pretended to read the paper - knowing full well he couldn’t see a fucking thing on the page without his glasses, but he’d be damned if he would show weakness in front of this bossy slip of a girl.

“An interloper?”

“I found you on the back seat of my car and you point blank refused to let me take you home.” He gestured widely with his cigarette. “You demanded to come home with me, instead of taking you back to your mother’s. You’re no prisoner here - far from it. If anything, you held me to ransom, not the other way around.”

She cringed - a tiny flicker of shame from the outside, but there, nonetheless.  _ Got her, _ he thought triumphantly. He pressed harder, teasing. “You really went for it last night, little one. Don’t drink often, I take it?”

Kore cringed in earnest then, pressing her hands to her face and moaning lowly. “This is like, the most humiliating thing to have ever happened to me. I’m not supposed to do stuff like this. Mama is going to go crazy at me when I get home - I’m already ignoring her phone calls,” she confessed, peering between her fingers at her companion. “I don’t even know how to get home from here.”

Hades rolled his eyes. “Ring your mother. I’ll take you home.”

She brightened for a moment, before realisation clouded her features. “Yeah, no. I’ll text her when I’m nearly home. And I definitely can’t hitch a ride home with you.”

“Why not?"

Kore looked up at him from under her lashes. “You’re not a popular figure in my household. Remember who my mother is?” 

He smiled wryly. “I’ll drop you off around the corner and you can walk the rest of the way.”

"Deal."


	3. The Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kore gets a ride home from Hades. Ridiculousness ensues.
> 
> Juliabsquared was the desperately needed beta for this chapter and I couldn't be more grateful. You know you the best. <3

“I told you, I know what I’m doing,” she preened smugly, kicking her high heels off as Hades drove off his estate, after a miraculously close brush with the press. Relief had blossomed within him as the opportunistic photographer had crept away through the undergrowth, unable to gain any juicy shots of their departure from his home. “You’re not the only asshole who gets followed by the paparazzi, you know.”

“Pulling up close to the side door was a good call, admittedly. But to be honest, the premise that you are ever able to avoid the press surprises me, Ms…”

“Oh, no. I’m just...Kore. No extra names for me yet.” She looked awkward for a moment, bunching the sleeve of her borrowed hoodie over her fist. She drowned in the fabric, his clothing utterly swamping her.  _ Gods, she’s adorable.  _ “But, yeah. If you think that what’s been in the papers is bad, just try and imagine what I’ve been careful to keep out of it.” She smirked at him sidelong from underneath the hood, fluttering her outrageously long lashes. Hades rolled his eyes.  _ The facade drops for just a moment, _ he thought,  _ and then she forces it right back up. _

“No second name, you say?”

“Heh, nope.” She laughed awkwardly through her nose, a derisive huff of air. “Do you think my life has been varied and interesting enough for me to have earned an additional title from the mortals? I mean, come on. I’m parachuted down for spring, which Mama basically makes me do her way, anyways, and then I just have to come back here to continue my home studies. That’s what my life consists of.” She inspected the fingernails of one hand rather than make eye contact. “Or at least, that was my life, until last year’s explosion. Now I go to college, like  _ normal people. _ ”

Hades shrugged. “I dunno, from what I’ve read in the press it seems like you have a whole heap of interesting romps.”

She raised an eyebrow sceptically. “I’m pretty sure that you know better than to believe everything you read in the press, Unseen One, King of the Damned, yadda yadda yadda. They make you out to be a philandering scoundrel. Me? I’m just a naughty girl.” She pouted appealingly and winked at him. He groaned internally.  _ Oh, fuck. _ “I’ll grow out of it, they say. You, however…”

“A philandering scoundrel, you say. And what’s your opinion?” He smiled, despite himself. Internally, he congratulated himself on keeping the conversation light and airy. She crossed her legs and wriggled her toes and he focused again on the road, mouth watering with desire. He swallowed thickly.

“Well, I escaped with my panties and dignity intact, didn’t I? So you can’t be all as bad as that.”  _ Oh, gods above, she’s talking about her panties. Keep it light, Hades. Keep it light. Change the subject. _

He failed to do so. “Panties  _ and  _ dignity? More’s the pity,” Hades replied dryly, weighing her response. He looked directly out of the windscreen as her head snapped towards him. He held his poker face for just long enough, watching her expression out of the corner of his eye develop through a range of interesting contortions. Outrage; disgust, and finally landing on shocked laughter: a sharp bark of a laugh broke the silence, and the floodgates were opened. She fell hopelessly into giggles.

“Oh my gods, you’re awful! Maybe they’ve got that whole ‘scoundrel’ part right, after all.”

He grinned lopsidedly at her. They descended into a semi-awkward silence. Kore leaned over, impatiently tossing her hair over one shoulder, and fiddled with the radio.

“Hey, it’s my car, you could at least ask before you start interfering with my radio.”

She ignored him, continuing to search through his presets. She snickered. “Fates, why are all of your radio presets like, what dusty ass dads would listen to?” He glanced down at the list, having never considered the age-appropriate nature of his presets before.  _ Jazz FM, Sounds of Symphonia _ and  _ Golden Era: Extra Classics _ stared back up at him and he cringed, a twinge of shame plucking at his nerves.  _ She’s right, you know. You’re old enough to be her father by a significant margin. _

“Because I’m over one hundred times your age, little flower.” Kore looked up at the nickname and giggled nervously, the enormity of the difference between them settling awkwardly in the car. She tucked her prodigiously long hair behind one pretty little ear and averted her gaze. Resting her hands in her lap, she fidgeted, turning a lock of her hair around and around until it twisted against itself, then combing it loose and starting over again. 

Eventually, she broke the silence. “Sorry,” she mumbled, flushing. She looked out of the window, turning away from him. Hades melted. Before he could even think to stop himself, he reached over and took one of her hands in his own, giving the tiny pink one a soft squeeze.

“Now, I won’t have any of that.” He smiled at her indulgently. “Think of the blow it would be to my reputation in the press if anyone were to see you sad in my car.” She returned his smile shyly, reaching up to free a hand from the hoodie’s long sleeve and push her hair out of her face.

“ _ Breaking news:King spotted giving car ride to annoying, bratty kid goddess, more on pages 2, 3, 4 and 5. _ ”

He winced. “How old are you exactly, Kore?”

“Oh, uh, twenty-two in a month,” she said quickly, defensively. “The only reason I’m debuting into society so late is cause Mama didn’t think I was  _ mature enough _ to go out alone. She kept saying that I’d get myself into some kind of scrape if I was permitted out into society.”

“Well, you showed her, huh?” Hades teased, and she winced, pulling her hand free from his.  _ Smooth move, shithead, _ he cursed internally, as their conversation fell flat.

The tinny sound of soft jazz piping in on the radio speakers only served to clash more discordantly with the lack of conversation. Kore dug in her tiny purse for her phone and scrolled distractedly through her social media, texting away in some social media app Hades didn’t recognise. 

He kicked himself inwardly.  _ A perfectly pleasant back and forth with a beautiful young woman and you have to make it awkward. Nice job, Lord of the Underworld, Killer of Conversation. _

Silence pooled uncomfortably between them.

Kore shrieked. “Oh! OH! Stop! You have to stop!” 

He jumped and swore, looking around frantically. 

“What? What?”

She pointed at a fast food joint Hades hadn’t darkened the door of (sober, at least) in over six hundred years. “I  _ need  _ a hash brown.”

“Kore, are you fucking kidding me?” Nonetheless, he indicated right, and pulled in. He stared at her, utterly bewildered, and she met his gaze levelly. A smirk broke through her steadfast expression, and he couldn’t help himself. He shook his head and laughed, pressing a hand to his forehead. “Remind me to never relax around you. That was terrifying.  _ You’re _ terrifying.”

Her eyes sparkled with mirth. “I’m adorable.”

“Also true,” he admitted, casting an appreciative eye in her direction. She tittered.

Crawling around through the drive-thru, he wound down his window, and turned to face his passenger, ready to ask what her order was. Instead, he was greeted with her far closer to him than he could have ever expected, as she clambered across the car to order her breakfast. He stilled as she leaned into his lap and his breath caught in his throat, as the heat radiating off her warmed his chill skin and made the hairs on the backs of his arms stand up. She wriggled further across, placing one hand on his thigh and the other on his forearm, banded with muscle as he almost crushed the steering wheel in his grip.  _ Just breathe, Hades. Relax. _ Her hair puddled underneath her in his lap, beautiful fragrant coils of fuchsia tresses. He closed his eyes for a moment, and took a shuddering breath in, silently willing his body to obey him,  _ especially _ with that delicate little hand so deliciously close to his -  _ No. Behave like the man you are, not some sort of degenerate pervert. Relax. Breathe. _ Her perfumed scent was intoxicating. He exhaled slowly, and opened his eyes.

“Okay, so I need an egg griddle. No bacon, okay? And not just ‘cause I’m fussy, I’m, like, actually a vegetarian, so I’ll know if you just take the bacon off. Sorry. And I want an orange juice, and two hash browns, and a sweet tea. And - do you want anything?”

Hades stared down at the little goddess sprawled across him, chin almost resting on the window opposite him. His hoodie swamped her tiny frame, sleeves rolled up three or four times where her hands braced against him, unbelievably, enticingly hot. He longed to touch her. He burned with desire, his fingers itching to caress the smooth skin of her throat or to tuck her hair behind her ear - to do something, anything. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, placing a hand on the small of her back. 

“Little flower,” he murmured quietly, “You know that they can hear you fine from the passenger seat.”

She frowned. “So?” A quiet part of his mind breathed  _ she wants to touch you. _ A darker part drowned that out.  _ She would run a mile if she knew what you were thinking. _

“Well, they can also see into the car.” He motioned minutely to the blinking camera lens below the microphone. 

“Oh,” she breathed, seemingly aware of the situation for the first time. She looked across at the camera, and then down at her position, and then, finally, up at him. Her face was inches from his own. She blushed, almost unconsciously capturing her lower lip between her teeth. She huffed a little nervous laugh, eyes darting down to his own smile. His insides coiled with delight, butterflies beating a frenetic pulse against his stomach walls. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

“Does that complete your order?” the tinny, faintly amused response came from the speaker.

“I’ll take a black coffee, if you don’t mind, but that will be all,” Hades responded, not breaking eye contact with the creature in his lap. Kore rolled her eyes at him, all brashness and confidence, albeit blushing cerise from her hairline down into her decolletage. And yet, she made no attempt to extricate herself. 

“Check your order on the screen and drive around to the next window - when you can,” the voice intoned, and he couldn’t help but smirk.

He had to hand it to her - Kore leaned into the situation better than anyone he had ever seen. “Thanks,” she responded blithely, hauling herself back into her own seat and reclipping her seatbelt. Hades mourned the loss of physical contact immediately, almost leaning in to chase her before getting a hold of himself. He watched dumbly as she smoothed down the fabric of her dress and pulled her hair over one shoulder, twisting it loosely into a tidy coil that she tucked into her - _ his _ \- hoodie. A wave of possessiveness washed over him, so unlike him that it shocked him back into his senses, just in time to hear her next words. 

“Oh. Um. You’ll have to cover this. I’ve lost my card.”

He gaped at her. Her sheer audacity was like nothing he’d ever come across. There was no malice behind it - no  _ or else _ inherent in her words - just simple, unexamined expectation. It came to him that Kore was so used to getting her own way it hadn’t even occurred to her that he wouldn’t pay. He opened his mouth to say something, to admonish or chastise her, and found he had no words. 

“What? I said thanks.”

“You did, sweetness. It was appreciated. A ‘please’ wouldn’t have gone amiss, either.” He raised an eyebrow and she giggled, unrepentant.  _ What a brat, _ he thought. Another thought flashed across his mind, unbidden - one of punishment. Discipline.

_ Fuck. Breathe. _

They drove around to the next window, and Hades incredulously tapped his card against the contactless reader. The thing chirruped its happy confirmation, and he wordlessly accepted the paper bag and passed it across to Kore. She moaned in delight, melting into her seat as she shoved a hash brown unceremoniously into her mouth. She waved the other under his nose. “Want one?”

“No thanks,” he replied dryly, “I never eat while I’m driving.”

“Oh, come on,” she laughed. “Isn’t that what you buy an automatic for? So you have an eating hand?”

“I never eat in the car because it’s untidy, and I’d thank you to not brandish your food around and get crumbs all over my freshly valeted interior, quite frankly.” He cringed to think of the mess that eating in the car would make. He had already been holding back on fetching the microfibre cloth out of his glovebox to buff away the fingerprints on his touch screen radio, and the idea of this was beyond the pale.

Hades looked across at her, the other half of the greasy hash brown between her fingers as she chewed, crumbs across her face. She stopped, caught red handed, halfway through brushing crumbs onto his carpet.

“Uh,” she managed, as he groaned, banging his head back against the headrest.  _ And yet, _ he thought, sneaking glances at her as she guiltily ate the rest of her breakfast over the bag,  _ this morning has been far more interesting than any you’ve had in years. _

_ She’s an exquisite thing. Beautiful, fiery, intelligent and quick witted, with a soft, thoughtful side, kept closely guarded.  _ The car idled beneath them at a set of traffic lights, and he watched her as she stared out of the window. Trees lined the road, the greenery of this particularly leafy district of Olympus providing a perfectly fitting backdrop to the beautiful goddess sitting in the car beside him. She frowned, eyes fixed on one tree, its leaves beginning to curl and crisp. Hades recognised the feeling of rot as he reached out, curiosity getting the better of him. She concentrated, making a deft little motion with the fingers of one hand, and his senses were rebuked by an overwhelming burst of  _ life _ from within the tree, responding with joy to Kore’s ministrations. It bloomed vibrantly, spectacularly, blossoming in seconds, and a wide smile broke across her features, delight oozing from every pore. She looked pleased with herself, settling back into her seat.

The distance to Demeter’s house shrank with every passing moment, and Hades faced up to the fact that this beautiful creature would be gone from his life in the space of a few minutes. She recognised it too, it seemed, as he caught her glancing up at him with a difficult to read expression on her face.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She turned away, an expression of regret flitting across her features for the briefest of moments. Kore leaned down, wriggling her little feet back into her shoes, wincing as she did so. “Ugh. These were a mistake,” she muttered to herself.

“No, they weren’t,” Hades blurted out, before shutting his mouth with a sharp click.  _ Stupid, _ he hissed to himself.  _ Shut up.  _ She giggled again, low and inviting, that infectiously, unbelievably filthy sound.

“Okay, maybe they weren’t.” She stretched one leg out self indulgently, placing her foot up on the dashboard. Hades quailed, torn between scolding her for making a mess of his interior, again, and running a hand from that tiny ankle up between those smooth thighs. He felt his cock twitch - he knew his body would betray him, somehow - and swore quietly. Kore’s smirk widened, and she placed her foot back into the footwell, taking care to not scuff the dashboard with her heel.

“You should stop here,” she instructed. “Any closer and the neighbours will talk.” He obediently indicated and pulled to the side of the road.

“Imagine the headlines. ‘Dusty ass dad snapped with impressionable young goddess in car.’ The blow to your reputation would be irreparable.”

“I’d get out in front of it, play it off as if this was always the plan,” she responded confidently. The faintest blush sprung to her cheeks, as she added “I am sorry, by the way. You’re not anybody’s dusty ass dad. That was rude. Mama always tells me I need to think before I speak, ‘cause I insult people.”

“No insult given, and no offence taken, little flower,” he replied softly.

She scuffed the toe of her pump across the carpet. “So I guess this is goodbye.” 

“My sincerest apologies for not ignoring your wishes last night,” Hades offered, smiling at her crookedly. She smirked.

“I think breakfast has made up for it. Just about. But I’ll think about accepting your apology, regardless. You never know when you might need a favour from a King.”

He rolled his eyes. “You really are something, Miss Kore.”

“Something good, or something bad?” She looked up at him from under her lashes again, teasing, infuriatingly gorgeous.

“I haven’t decided,” he countered. “I think I’d need to see you again to make up my mind. Preferably under less inconvenient circumstances.”

Smiling at him coyly, Kore shook her head. “You don’t want that, trust me.”

He frowned. “How could you possibly claim to know what I want?”

She held her hands up in mock defeat. “Alright, alright. Give me your phone.” He obliged, and she tapped away infuriatingly quickly. Her own phone buzzed in her bag, and she gave a quiet laugh. She swiped to close an app and passed the cell back to him, opened her car door. He heard her swear under her breath: “Oh, fuck it.”

She shut the car door again.

His cellphone was knocked out of his hand. It clattered to the floor of his car somewhere, and he found his empty hands automatically circled a feverishly hot little waist. Kore slung her arms about his neck, staring boldly at him, so close he could feel the shivering exhale of her breath. “Kiss me,” she demanded, low and bossy and undeniable. Hades complied, pressing his lips to hers, and he thought he might give up everything he had to live forever in this one moment, as she pressed her little lithe body up greedily against him, her breasts squeezed against his chest, her hands curling possessively into his hair. He would be damned forever to live on loop, replaying her little shuddery gasp as she melted into him, opening her mouth and slipping her tongue into his, tasting of syrup and salt and flowers. She hummed with satisfaction, breaking the kiss and grinning up at him mischievously.

“Thanks,” she chirped, disappearing from his grasp as quickly as she’d come. “See you around, oh my handsome abductor.” Kore winked at him, opened the door, and bounded out of the car and down the sidewalk.

Watching as she scurried away, perilously high heels wobbling on the uneven paving beneath her feet, he was surprised to see her give him one last, long look over her shoulder, before she disappeared in through the greenery of Demeter’s ranging estate, and was gone.

Had he dreamt it all? Was his baffling, infuriating, thoroughly entertaining morning all a figment of his imagination that he would wake up from in moments?

He looked down at the passenger footwell and cursed loudly to see that she’d left all of the remains of her breakfast behind. 


	4. The Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Ellis for betaing. ❤️

_Click. Click. Click._

As the shutter sounds echoed around the Olympian Palace foyer, Kore guiltily jumped down from the chair she was balancing on. She examined the photos she had just taken - her expression differed in all three, and the dour, unchanging face in the portrait behind her stared on impassively as she posed. She selected the prettiest, discarding the one where she leaned in close, pursing her lips, and the one where she mocked his facial expression, instead favouring the final one, with a simple raised eyebrow and smirk. She sent it to Hades. 

**Kore** : Lol 

**Kore** : You look like such a dork in this

 **Kore** : You could have asked for the artist to make you look less like someone has spat in your drink you know

She scrolled back a little way to their earlier conversation, reliving the moment she 'replied' to the text message he'd sent. It had been a truly delicious moment, tapping out a dirty text to herself while next to him, insides thrilling at the moment of misbehaviour. Oh, she could have gotten into _big_ trouble for that. 

**Hades** : um excuse u get back in this car and fuck me silly 😘

She had chastised primly, all class and grace, to which she had received the staccato, clipped reply:

 **Hades** : This message did not come from me. 

She'd giggled nervously, and responded in kind. Go hard or go home - what's the worst that could happen?

 **Kore** : I'm not buying it. Who else would make such a salacious opening play? Disgraceful behaviour. 

**Hades** : Indeed. The same kind of salacious, disgraceful behaviour that one could only expect from a wild little goddess that leaves fast food remnants in someone's footwell.

 **Kore** : **😂😂😂** Not sorry. 

**Hades** : For the filthy text message or the filthy car? 

Kore: Either. 

**Hades** : I know you're not sorry. That's the truly outrageous thing. 

She'd stopped replying then, preferring to imagine the look on his face. 

His face. His _lips_ , for that matter. Kore regarded the portraits in front of her, turning the screen off on her phone and mentally filing the messages to look back over another time. Hades alone was the sole occupant of his frame; a matter long speculated upon in the media. Of course, he had that on again, off again thing with some girl - but _that_ was none of her business. 

"Handsome, isn't he?" 

Kore's phone clattered across the floor and she squeaked in fright, scrambling to pick it up. Hera watched her indulgently as she leapt to her feet. She cleared her throat awkwardly before replying. 

"Well, obviously." She cringed and caught herself, remembering her mother's hissed instructions about her _manners_ half a second too late. "Heh. I mean, um, yes ma'am." 

Hera rolled her eyes. "Kore, honey, I held you on the day you were born. You were a difficult little thing then, and nothing has changed since. You _know_ you don't need to _ma'am_ me."

"Oh, okay, I guess." She shifted awkwardly on the spot. "Mama said you called her yesterday, you wanted to see me?" 

“Of course. Come with me.” 

Scuffing her shoes along the marble floor, Kore followed Hera out into the garden. She slung herself into a comfortable chair on the veranda, overlooking the immaculately clipped gardens before them. Kore stood next to her.

“Now, the last time we saw one another, Kore, you couldn’t sit still for more than five minutes at a time. Has that changed much since your body settled?”

“Um," she responded articulately, uncomfortable with the reminder that she would be twenty-one for all of eternity, permanently inferior. "I can sit, if you like.”

“Sure, if you want to. Admittedly, I was sort of hoping you’d have something in mind.” Hera gestured grandly at the rolling gardens before them. “Call it artistic vision. Honestly, looking at this same garden every day is driving me to drink.” She stifled a smirk, as Hebe appeared around the corner and placed a drink in her mother’s outstretched hand, before sidling off to lurk just out of Hera's view. “Or, something like that.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Kore smiled obligingly, playing along with the joke. “And I should get to that straight away, you know, being your obedient servant and all.”

“That sounds about right to me.” She leaned back and held her hand out, a cigarette fizzing into existence between her extended fingertips.

Kore kicked her flat shoes off, leaving them in the middle of the veranda behind her. She exhaled a sigh of contentment as she sank her toes into the vibrant, green grass beneath her feet. It responded in kind, growing loving fronds that caressed the skin of her ankles as she set to work, drawing from the spring within her. As she wandered the gardens, she trailed her hands across the tops of immaculate box hedges and crooked her fingers encouragingly above flowerbeds, all life beneath bursting into new verdancy and growth. At her touch, her gesture, her very will, the flora of Olympus bloomed joyfully, the crack and snap of new branches stretching out skywards resonating within her as she delved into the stream of life beyond herself.

“Kore? Are you listening to me?”

“Huh?” She looked up from where her fingers were combing through soil towards the queen, who smiled indulgently.

“Ah, of course not. It was stupid of me to expect you to be able to work and listen at the same time. How are you getting on?”

“Almost done, I think.” She concentrated, carefully sinking back into the flow and growth she had been immersed in moments before. It welcomed her back with open arms, and she reluctantly began to taper it off, slowing the rush of life into little more than a trickle, before pressing down on it firmly. It stopped, reluctantly, leaving her body with a strange wrenching feeling that she thought she may never get used to. Glancing at her work over her shoulder, Kore shuddered, before sinking into a chair at Hera's table. 

An expression of sympathy flitted across Hera's face. "Your powers are still giving you trouble, I think." She stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray and immediately called another into existence, wisps of nothing coagulating between her extended fingertips. 

Shrugging, she took a long drink from the cool glass of lemonade placed in front of her by Hebe, who attempted to slink away unnoticed. "Nope!" Kore reached out plaintively to Hebe and clasped her hand. "I need you!" Hebe giggled, allowing Kore to sweep her into her lap. She made some faux complaints, wriggling to be freed from Kore's ever so slightly sweaty grasp, but her attempts were fruitless. "No! You have to protect me from your mama. I'm pretty sure I'm in trouble."

Hebe's expression twisted into one of teasing glee. "Oh, you're _definitely_ in trouble. Don't think for a second that I can help you." Kore looked imploringly over Hebe's shoulder at Hera, whose grin was the mirror image of her daughter's. 

"She's right, you know."

"Even worse, Hebe. You _have_ to stay to help me," she whispered, squeezing the child tightly to her. 

Hebe patted Kore's arm in a show of camaraderie. "Sorry, K. Mama always tells me 'you know when you've been had,' and, well… You've totally been had."

"Can't you get me out of it?" 

"Better own up to whatever you did bad now and take the punishment like a big girl, is my advice," Hebe said wisely, and Hera's glowing pride beamed from every pore. "Besides, if you lie, Mama probably already knows, so you're doubly in trouble. At least, that's what happens when I'm in trouble."

"Rats." Kore made a show of pushing Hebe off her lap. "Ugh. Go away, then. I don't need you after all, it turns out you're totally useless." Hebe rolled her eyes and sauntered off, turning for just long enough to catch a wink and a smirk from her friend. This wasn't the first time they'd played this pantomime together, and it likely wouldn't be the last. 

"Now then. I'd still like an answer to my earlier question," Hera remarked dryly, sipping from her wine glass. Condensation pooled on the outside of it and trickled down the stem. "Are you still having trouble with your powers, Kore?" 

"Not problems, as such. I just feel like, every time I get started - I don't mean just, little plants and stuff, but _really_ get started - I don't know how to stop. I feel like I'm sort of gonna…Get carried away." She wrapped an arm around her own waist defensively, taking another nervous gulp from her own glass. "Sounds stupid, right?" 

"Not at all. Maybe you're right. Maybe you might get carried away." Hera appraised her candidly, taking a long drag on her cigarette as she did so. She paused, humming thoughtfully, before exhaling a cloud of acrid smoke into the air between them. "Barely into your twenties...forever. A blessing and a curse, I think. I wonder if that might have something to do with your… Erratic powers."

Kore didn't have a response, so changed the subject. "What do you think of the garden, anyway?" She waved a hand behind her, desperate for Hera's piercing eyes to evaluate something else. Graciously, she obliged, leaning to one side and peering out across the lawns. 

"Beautiful. A little more chaotic than I would have chosen myself, but I like it. It's a wonderful change."

"I'm glad you like it," Kore replied, and she was surprised to find that she genuinely meant it, relief suffusing through her body. The Queen smiled at her then, a smile full of regal grace and benediction. 

"So, Kore. The grape vine tells me that after my little party the other night, where you were seen _enjoying yourself, a lot_ , you didn't return home to your mother's until midday the next day, and that you've been cagey about your whereabouts ever since. Correct?"

"I guess so," she sulkily responded, inspecting the peeling nail polish on one fingernail. Hera pulled on her cigarette again, the red ember glowing as she frowned at the young, foolish goddess before her. 

"Look. You do realise the sacrifices your mother has made in choosing to return to Olympus for you, don't you? It's not easy to retain the influence that Demeter has from afar, you know. She could have made her own life much easier if she had chosen to continue to raise you there, rather than bring you here. Temples, worshippers, duty, all left behind to suffer, for you." 

"Yes, but-" 

Hera continued smoothly, as if her interjection had never happened. "And you realise the pressure she puts on you to behave yourself isn't because she wants to ruin your life, but because she wants you to be safe, right?" 

She rolled her eyes. She'd heard this before. "Yeah, I know. She keeps telling me."

"So why do you keep goofing off and putting yourself in danger?" Her tone was sharp. "You're fucking with your future, you know. Your reputation is on the line when you pull stunts like this."

"I wasn't in danger!" Kore protested warmly, leaning in. "I -" 

"Oh, so you want to tell me where it is you spent the night, when you wouldn't tell your mama? I'm all ears, believe me."

A blush flooded her face, and tears of indignation pricked at the corners of her eyes. "I don't have to tell you anything," she countered, slumping back in her chair and folding both arms. "I'm entitled to keep my own counsel. I'm an adult."

"Kore, listen to me. You're twenty-one years old. Legally, you're considered an adult, but that doesn't protect you from harm, do you understand me?" 

"Yeah, but -" 

"No, Kore. No buts. You don't have to tell me what you were doing, and frankly, you're not beholden to any good conduct contracts since your ejection from Hestia's little girl gang. You're your own person. But that doesn't make you invincible! You won't listen to Demeter, fates help her, so you'll listen to me now. You cannot pull another stunt like that. The realms are huge, and full of people, and they owe you nothing. Not even your own safety." Hera's eyes blazed as she leaned across the table. She held Kore by her shoulders, as if she wished to shake the girl. Her fingernails pressed desperately into Kore's skin, as if begging to leave a mark on her mind as well as her skin. Coils of cigarette smoke snaked through the air between them, a barely-there veil separating the old guard from the new. 

"I wasn't in danger!" Wriggling to free herself, Kore met the Queen's gaze. How many times would people try to reason with her, a bitter part of her wondered inwardly. She considered darkly that she might receive these teenage _we know what's best for you, please just let us help_ lectures forever. 

"I believe you. But what happens next time when you are, hmm? How will you know?" Kore turned away from Hera, facing defiantly into the garden as she dashed away angry tears. She released her grip on Kore's shoulders and stubbed her cigarette out, before cupping her by the chin, long, graceful fingers turning her face back towards her. "I won't let you be put in danger by anyone. But you have to let us help you." Hera smiled apologetically, thumbing an errant tear away. "And by that, I mean all of us, including your mama."

Kore sighed shudderingly, inclining her head ever so slightly. _There it is. Just let us tell you what to do, while we pretend it's your idea. At least have the good grace to tell me it's an order._ But she smiled, and nodded, and did her level best to look contrite. _You know it's because she loves you. Just behave yourself._

"Good girl." Hera took her hands up and squeezed them comfortingly. "Now, let's think about a way to get you busy. I'm sure some of this is idleness. If you were busier, the tabloids wouldn't have such a field day with your more colourful exploits."

"I'm already on a full timetable at OU, what do you mean?" Kore's brow furrowed as she tried to follow Hera's train of thought.

"I mean, it's about time you fulfilled that internship credit you've been trying to weasel out of all last year and most of this year," Hera shot a glance at her as she drained her wine glass. She looked for a moment as if she considered a third cigarette, hand held out as if to draw another together from nothing, but thought better of it, instead choosing to call up from _somewhere_ a selection of manila folders. Kore watched quietly as the goddess before her demonstrated such power with ease, and wondered how long it took Hera to perfect it. Making something from scratch is one thing, even something more complex like a cigarette. But… Documentation was another beast entirely. She twinged with jealousy, wondering if anyone would ever teach _her_ to do such things. 

"I don't see why I should have to do it," she carded a hand through her short, coiffed hair as she said this. "I mean, I know Artemis didn't have to do the internship; she told me. It just seems so outdated. Like, way to get me hyped about my ability to contribute to society: make me do unpaid labour for the 'experience,' or whatever they call it."

Hera looked up over the top of a file at Kore. "Artemis didn't have to do the internship, one, because it was still an elective centuries ago when _she_ went through college, and two, because she'd already met the internship requirement through her Eternal Maidenhood duties. Surely, she told you that, too?"

"Oh." Again, Kore found herself without a scathing response. "Maybe. I might have forgotten that part."

"Or maybe you were hoping your professors might have forgotten." Hera winked at her, then. "Besides, you need a challenge. Something outside of your comfort zone, I think. You could stand to have a bit of a shake up."

"Like what?" 

"Well, let's see." As she flicked through the contents of one folder after another, Kore fidgeted in her chair unhappily. Finally, Hera hit on something that made her pause. She smiled. Her eyes scanned the page again, and her smile only grew. "Oh, this should be plenty different, I think. How do you feel about the cold?" 

She recalled a faint memory of a childhood visit to somewhere foreign and frosty in the mortal realm, tall people with silvery hair and lilting, ululating voices. "I prefer comfort."

"Libraries?" Hera shot a knowing glance over the paperwork she was already beginning to fill out in a sweeping, regal hand. 

Kore scoffed. "Dead places, right? You can get basically any book you'd ever need online, can't you?" 

Her eyes crinkled in an unshared delight. "Of course. How about adhering to very, _very_ strict rules and procedures?" 

She tossed her hair. "You know how I feel about rules." A dawning, unpleasant comprehension crawled across her mind, and she gave it voice. "You've picked something I'll hate to punish me."

"Absolutely, one hundred percent correct, my flower." Hera's tinkling laugh resounded like the crack of an open handed slap, and Kore recoiled. 

"That's not fair! I thought you were choosing something to help me!" 

"Darling, that's exactly what I've done. You're going to take this internship - I'll arrange it right away, so this paperwork doesn't get 'lost' under your watch - and you are going to learn a thing or two about the importance of responsibility and duty to others."

Kore groaned, dropping her head into her hands. 

"Don't be such a pain. This is for your own good, and you never know, you might find that the optics do you some good. 'Spoilt little cyber princess, royal heiress and descendant, learns some humility and stops acting like a brat in public.' Sounds good, right? Like you might actually make a suitable match for someone, some day, instead of whatever it was you were up to at your own personal after-party."

"I work hard to cultivate that image in the press." Her hands curled into fists in her lap and she dug her fingernails into her palms. _Ignore the last part. She's old. She's set in her ways._ "And who says I want to be anyone's match?" 

"Well, why wouldn't you? As for that image, I have no idea why you want to be perceived as less than you are."

"People underestimate me," she responded simply, staring at her hands. "That in itself is valuable. Surprise is powerful."

Hera sniffed. "Personally, I'd choose the power of _power_ over the power of surprise. Especially given how powerful you are, Kore. You don't need to surprise anyone."

"Yet." It was Hera's turn to flinch then, as Kore delivered her biting needle of a response. 

"Hmm. Well. Regardless, some time in the Underworld will do you good."

"Uh. Some time where?" Her mouth dried up. _Here come consequences,_ she chided herself. _You knew you wouldn't get away with this forever, you knew kissing him was a dumb idea, and now look._

"The Underworld, Kore. You know. The third realm? You were ogling its King about a half hour ago in the hallway?" 

"Oh. Sorry. I wasn't listening. Yeah, the Underworld. Okay. Sure," she responded thickly, knowing she'd blown her own cover. Hera quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing. 

"It will be up to Hades to assign you a role. You'll meet him on Wednesday morning; I'll make sure he's free to see you." Hera observed the pale, drawn look on Kore's face. "What? Oh, don't give me that. He's my infinitely patient, if somewhat sombre, brother in law. He doesn't bite."

Kore distinctly remembered, despite her best efforts to think of _anything else_ , the capturing of her own lower lip between his teeth and the flash of a tongue laving over her trapped flesh, and pointedly decided to avoid sharing that information with his sister in law. 

"You know, my mama will never sign the paperwork for this," she tried, as a last ditch attempt. "She hates him."

The scrape of Hera's gilded pen dragged across the bottom of the paperwork with an air of finality. Her signature, swooping and flourished, sealed it. 

"That may very well be, dearest," Hera responded thoughtfully. But then she leaned across the table, to whisper conspiratorially into the pink shell of Kore's ear. "But your mother isn't queen."

_Well, fuck._


	5. The Interview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks go to Fae (inconstancy) and Heather (Verdiwithin) for reading over this for me for sense and general easing of my nerves about posting. GO READ THEIR STUFF I LOVE THEM

“Miss, er, Kore, was it?” 

She looked up from her cell phone at the beautiful, slender nymph behind the desk. She held long, delicate fingers to the headset in her ear and cocked her head slightly, a curtain of rich burgundy hair spilling out over the side of her office chair, in a carefully curated pose. “The King is ready for your interview,” she offered idly, leaning back in her chair.

“About time,” she replied, playing up to her role. “I’m a busy girl.”

The PA smiled thinly at her, humming in a vague approximation of a laugh.  _ Minthe _ , her social media scouring had discovered in the last few minutes. She followed Kore on a few different platforms, so the grasping for her name was an act. According to her alarmingly public profiles, her on-again, off-again fling with Hades was very much off, which was to be expected, after the tabloids had reported on their latest explosive conflict at an expensive bar. Kore mirrored her smile - all teeth, no eyes - before heading for the frosted glass door just beyond her desk.

She pushed down on the handle and entered into the domain of the King: minimalist, clean, and very expensive, just like his home. He looked up at the door, eyebrows raised, before exhaling a slow, impatient sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Kore.” His carefully measured voice weighing out her name  _ just so _ thrilled her, and she felt herself blushing. This wouldn’t do, she thought, to be on the backfoot. She winked at him, building her usual defence.

“Hi.”

“It’s customary to knock before you enter someone’s office.”

“Well, customarily, when I enter people’s offices, their PA hasn’t called me through first.”

Hades balked at this, his frown deepening. “It’s about manners, and respect.” He gestured for her to take a seat on a couch next to his desk. She obliged, curling her feet up underneath her and settling back into the plush velvet cushioning.

“I’m ever so respectful,” Kore countered, glancing at him sidelong. She bit down on the inside of her lip to stop herself from smirking at her own flagrant lie. 

He grunted derisively. “I don’t believe you know the meaning of the word, Kore.” He leaned back in his chair, the blacker-than-black crown atop his head not quite catching the light.  _ Catching the light would be the wrong phrase, _ her mind volunteered inanely.  _ Swallowing it would be more apt. _ “While you are in my place of work, it is expected that you behave in a manner more...befitting to our roles, shall we say.”

She sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “Okay.”

“Your ‘Yes, your Majesty’ sounds rather strange, Kore. It could use some practice.” He turned away for a moment, bringing up a window on his computer. This conversation was over,  _ he _ thought.

The smirk broke free, dancing across her lips in a merry display of defiance. “Okay.”

He glowered at her, spinning his chair slightly to face her. The muscles in his jaw worked appealingly as he gritted his teeth. He rested his elbows on the table, steepling his fingers in front of his face pensively as he took a steadying breath, closing his eyes momentarily. “Kore...You are aware I don’t want to take you on as an intern, aren’t you?”

"Oh." The game was over, she sensed immediately. Time to stop playing. "May I ask why?" 

“Well, it makes no odds what I want to do, if I’m truthful with you. Hera has called in some big favours from me to have you here, and I’m also under the impression that if I say no, I will be forced to attend every single major festival and minor blessing in Olympus for the next century.” Kore twisted her hands together, working a ring around and around on a finger. She looked away from him, out of the window into the dark of the Underworld. "I’m still contemplating whether I’d prefer to take the hit on my calendar." 

“Well, do that instead,” Kore replied, her gaze still fixed on some middle distance outside of the window. She carefully set her face into an impassive expression, working out the lines of the frown she felt beginning to form of its own volition.  _ Of course he doesn’t want you here. _

“I don’t know,” he peered over his glasses at her. She avoided his gaze. “I’m undecided.”

“Why?” She looked at him briefly, eyes pained for just a brief second, before she quirked an eyebrow and the cover girl was back. 

“Curiosity, mostly.” The printer at his desk whirred and spat out two pages. Glancing over, she saw a photo of herself in the top right corner - an awful one, taken on her college intake day - and cringed internally. Hades rose from his chair behind the desk and sat at the opposite end of the long couch, reminding Kore again of his sheer size. He faced her, swinging one arm casually over the back of the couch. In his free hand, he held her woefully slim file. “Hera has pulled a lot of strings for you. You’re not family, she doesn’t particularly see eye to eye with your mother, so what makes you worthy of calling in this many favours?” He pushed his glasses up and blinked at the two sheets of paper in his hands. “Excellent academics, clearly. But what else?”

“I don’t suppose you’d be impressed if I told you my engagement figures on Fatesbook or Nymphstagram, would you?” She smiled broadly, masking the prickling shame crawling down her back.

“You’d be correct.” He smiled back apologetically.  _ He can tell, _ she thought to herself.  _ He knows you’re useless. _ “So, why is the Queen of All so keen for you to work in the Underworld, I wonder? You know, other than the fact it’s clear she thinks she’s punishing you by sending you down here.”

Kore shrugged.

“But, regardless, I have to find somewhere for you, so find somewhere I shall. I need to know a little more about you. The question I have for you, little goddess, is this:  _ what makes you so special _ ?"

"Well, um…" She faltered, grasping for something to say. "I'm not just some B-grade goddess. I have heritage, provenance."

"So does Apollo, and it's broadly known I don't permit him to even set foot in the Underworld." Hades pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose again and looked inquisitively over. "Tell me what you are capable of. Not who you are, but what you can do."

"I don't blame you on that front, I have to say. The stories I've heard… Eesh." Raising an eyebrow conspiratorially, she leaned in ever so slightly, desperately hoping to sway the topic of conversation in her favour. A disinterested  _ hmm _ was his only response. Hades waited, his dispassionate expression giving nothing away. "I, um. I can grow things, heal plants that are already grown. Kill them, too. But, I don't like doing that so much," she added in a smaller voice. "But Mama says my powers aren't finished developing, so I'm not ready to be a fully fledged, independent goddess just yet, which is why I don't have any temples or anything."

Hades frowned. "No temples? No priestesses?" 

"Well, it's hardly as if I've had much time to build a following, is it, when I can hardly place a potted plant in the mortal realm without someone advising me that it would look better elsewhere," she shot back, folding her arms defensively. She tucked a stray curl of hair behind her ear, uncomfortably aware that it wasn't long enough to do that when she came into this meeting. "Give me a break, seriously."

"Yes, it must be very hard being mothered," came the dry, detached response. She seethed, already knowing it was the wrong response and entirely unable to stop herself. 

"That's so fucking unfair and you know it. Why are you being such a jerk? Hera told me that you were kind - I thought you were kind, that we could be  _ friends _ , and you're just being awful! It's so unfair!" She felt it then, the bubbling, impotent fury that lurked just below the surface, the thing she became when she lost control, the thing the press brushed off as teenage tantrums. It pounded at her skin from the inside, begging for some catharsis she didn't know how to provide. 

Hades held her gaze and watched her. He watched her closely, for the first time since she swanned into his office, all curves and giggles and unashamed entitlement. He watched her grit her teeth and clench her fists tightly in her lap, he watched her claw her fingers through her errant hair, curling down by her shoulders now. He watched her grapple with the same fury and profound, vulnerable  _ sadness _ he had seen in her that night at the party, and he recognised the same writhing, bitter fury burning cold inside himself as it roiled like an inferno within her.  _ Like me,  _ the conceit and condescension within him hissed smugly,  _ but free. Not pretending to be something she's not, in some shitty, rigid mockery of self-control.  _

And yet, even as he softened, recognising the dark reflection of himself within her, part of him bristled at the sheer  _ nerve  _ of the brat. To come here, so unrestrained in her conduct and her attitude, and expect to simply be handed a role? To argue that her shortcomings were someone else's responsibility? To saunter in, so beautiful, so fiery, so  _ young _ , and expect the realms to fall at her feet - the indignity could not be borne. It was just too much. 

He realised that he hadn't been listening to her at the same time as she did. She laughed, a nasty, vicious chuckle, and a harsh light of comprehension clicked on for Hades, that she needed to  _ stop  _ before saying something she regretted, and she was far too boundless and angry to stop herself. He opened his mouth and words came out that he could hardly believe he'd said. 

"Whatever you're about to say, you  _ will _ keep it to yourself, unless you want to face the consequences, little Kore." 

She choked on her words, blushing crimson and leaning forward, placing one hand on the couch and pointing at him with the other. "No, don't you -" 

He responded in kind, leaning in and gently - but firmly - curling her accusatory finger into her fist, encompassed entirely within his own huge hand. "I promise that if you finish that thought you will regret it. Control yourself.  _ Behave yourself _ ."

Her mouth hung open, and she slowly closed it, pressing her lips into a thin, unhappy frown. Kore breathed, slowly, in through her nose, and deliberately, just as slowly, out through her mouth. Her eyes fluttered closed as she repeated this again, again, and Hades released a sigh of his own, squeezing her little hand within his own. "That's good," he praised her, quiet and sincere. "You did the right thing, I know that was hard for you. Well done."

The young woman in front of him made an indistinct noise, and just as Hades opened his mouth to ask her to repeat herself, she turned away, pulling a strange face. Kore covered her mouth with her free hand and turned her face away from him, and he realised belatedly that she was crying. He felt something clutch at his heart inside him that he didn't recognise. Her hand shifted inside his, and he released her, only to find her grasping at his palm desperately. "Oh, sweetness," he breathed, gathering her up into his lap without a second thought. She curled into him, sobbing into his chest as he rubbed her back with his free hand. She snivelled something into his chest that  _ almost _ sounded like an apology. He soothed her, gently combing his fingers through her hair. 

Eventually, she controlled herself, taking a couple of grounding breaths as she stemmed the flow of tears. She rested her head against his chest, carefully wiping at the smudged mascara under her eyes. “Not the meeting you were expecting this morning, huh,” she commented wryly, looking up at him. “I hope most of your interviews don’t end this way.”

“I’d say probably three in every ten.” He smiled at her crookedly, eliciting a giggle from her. He attempted vainly to ignore the feel of her shifting in his lap to rest more solidly against him. “No. However, every one of _ our _ encounters thus far has ended up with you in my lap, little flower.”

“You seem to keep encountering me in situations where I’m not at my best,” she admitted, nestling in and making no attempt to extricate herself from his grasp. He realised he was still idly playing with ends of her curls, and she’d made no attempt to stop him from doing that, either. Emboldened by this knowledge, he slid his fingers into her hair at the base of her head, and worked his fingers through it from root to tips. Kore sighed, letting her eyes close. She continued, in a softer voice: “Nobody sees me like this. I’m always the one in charge, even when I’ve lost it.”

“But you didn’t lose it today,” he replied lowly, admiringly. “You did well.” 

She frowned a little. “Only because of you. If you’d been anyone else, I would have opened my mouth and gotten into big trouble.”

“I caught you off guard, I suppose,” he remarked, taking the opportunity to examine her features closely. Her eyes were still closed, her lashes fanned out across her cheeks, just above a dusting of freckles that he’d never noticed before. “How often does anyone actually try to stop you from exploding before it happens?”

“Um.” Kore hummed contemplatively, pursing her lips as she thought. Hades continued to comb one hand through her curls, admiring the way they bounced free as his fingers reached the ends, and resuming the motion again. “I guess never, really. Either people are afraid of me and they let me get it out of my system, or they want to watch the fireworks when I’m really mad and sell their story of a ‘princess temper tantrum’ to the tabloids.” She made a face, displeased. “I mean, it’s working well for me in the press at the moment, but I can’t do it forever.”

“Well, your princess bit has worked well for you this far, but it doesn’t work on me.”

“Why not?” she met his gaze, lips parting slightly, as if encouraging him to meet them with his own.

“Simple. As king, I outrank you, princess.” He grinned; she groaned.

“Oh my Gods, shut up! You had that awful joke already planned out. You’re the worst.” He laughed warmly, his turn to be unrepentant. She pressed her fingertips to his broad smile. “Stop that.” Hades shook his head, shaking in silent mirth. She whined in mock displeasure, covering his face with her hand. Still laughing, he pressed a kiss to that open palm. They stilled. She removed her hand.

“Hades,” she began, flushing. Her gaze flickered down towards his lips. “can I -”

“Yes,” he interrupted. She surged up towards him, crashing her lips into his. He returned the kiss with the same force, encircling her with his arms, pulling her closer. The pliant pressure of her body against his was too much to bear. Greedily, he slid his tongue into her mouth, desperate to taste her, to feel the touch of her, to have her completely. Wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, Kore pulled him towards her body as she leaned back, until she lay flat beneath him, her deft fingers sliding him out of his suit jacket and immediately beginning work on loosening his tie. 

"Fuck," he groaned, breaking off the kiss to lean back and get a better look at her. Hades ran his hands along her lithe frame, the pretty blouse she wore clinging tight across her chest. The lacy bra underneath - the silky fabric of her blouse thin enough to allow the pattern underneath to be defined - in turn revealed what lay underneath  _ that,  _ the tight little peaks of her nipples glaringly obvious and unutterably pinchable. He did so, the little squeak that leapt unbidden from between Kore's swollen lips sending a surge of blood to his groin. She panted beneath him, her eyes closed and her brow furrowed, legs spread so, so invitingly.

“Fates, don’t stop,” she breathed, pouting up at him. He chuckled, indulging her by leaning down to kiss at the silky smooth skin of her throat. Whimpering, she twined her legs around his waist, drawing him in closer. Her heels bit into the backs of his thighs, the delicious pressure mounting as he ground his hips down against her, complying with her desire. Her breath came in short, airy gasps now, her fingernails scrabbling for purchase across the smooth fabric of his shirt. “Are you going to hurry up and fuck me? We haven’t got all day.”

He hummed, low and deep. “There she is, that imperious little princess.” She giggled, unrepentant as always, capturing him in another long, burning kiss. Hades snaked his hand down between their bodies, running one finger down between her thighs, delighting in the ripples of lace he felt under his fingertip. Kore clamped down on a cry, pressing her lips together tightly as she rocked her hips under his touch. “Is this what you want, princess?” he asked sweetly, kissing along her jaw. She nodded. “I thought you wanted me to  _ hurry up and fuck you _ .” He pressed his fingers between her folds more insistently, enjoying the damp fabric of her underwear.

“Yes,” she hissed, trembling beneath him, altogether overwhelmed and yet needing more of him - only to find his presence withdrawing as Hades stood up and brushed himself down. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, before dragging a hand through his unkempt hair. His crown flickered back into existence - Kore hadn’t even noticed that it had disappeared. Sitting back in his chair behind his desk, he winced and adjusted himself through his slacks - the only sign that he was even remotely affected by their encounter. Kore gaped at him from her prone position on the couch.

“I’m afraid not, sweetness. Not today.”

“Er…” she stared at him, uncomprehending. “Why not? Am I missing something here?” His eyes flashed crimson, just for a second, as a knowing grin played across his features.

“I think that would be unprofessional, given that I’ve decided to find a position for you at Underworld Corp.”

“I liked the position that I was occupying up until just now,” she countered, scowling across at him as she wriggled her hemline back down to her knees, where it had begun at the outset of their meeting.

He smirked at her and didn’t reply, instead pulling a hefty lever arch folder from a tray on his desk. He flicked through files until he found what he was looking for, and huffed a self-satisfied laugh. “This looks like it could be a good fit.” He typed something into his computer, fingers hitting the keys in a sharp staccato, before the little  _ whoosh _ sound effect indicated that his email had been sent. “There. That’s all arranged.”

“Don’t you have to wait for confirmation that the department can take me?” she asked, stunned. “How is it that easy?”

Hades chuckled, leaning back in his chair once more, with the self-indulgent smirk of one who is entirely at home in his domain. “King, remember?” His desktop pinged - he glanced over and skimmed the reply. “See? That’s all arranged. On Wednesdays, you will come to floor 98 and report to the Department for Natural Disasters. You know, poisonings, earthquakes, that sort of thing.”

“Oh. Okay.” Kore had no idea how to reply, feeling thoroughly outranked and outmanoeuvred. 

“Look, little flower. This is your opportunity to prove yourself. There’s hidden depths to you, beyond being the tabloid princess and the Nymphstagram idol that you make yourself out to be. This way, you will get to see more of the world, and meet more of the people that we have a duty to care for.”

“Um. Cool, I guess. Thank you.” At that, a genuine, warm smile bubbled up from within him. He looked truly pleased for her.

“You’re welcome, Kore.” He rose from his seat, indicating their meeting was over. She dumbly stood up and permitted herself to be guided to the door.

“Wait - I’m not done!”

“I’m a very busy man,” he replied, smoothly. “I’d love to have...your delightful company all morning, but I’m afraid other meetings await me.” He opened the door and held it for her. “Welcome aboard, Miss Kore.” 

Kore noted that the nymph at the desk ahead immediately turned her attention to their conversation, her long, pointed ears flicking backwards to catch their conversation. Being flustered around  _ him _ was one thing, but she would maintain her composure in front of others.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she purred. “It’s a pleasure to be of service.”

She smirked as he vainly attempted to hold his nerve, but the flush creeping up from under his collar showed his true colours. She shook his hand warmly, and turned on her heel, striding confidently towards the exit.

Hades watched her leave before letting out the breath he didn’t realise he had been holding. “Minthe?”

“Yes?”

“Hold my calls for the next fifteen minutes,” he managed, before closing his office door behind him and unbuckling his belt.


	6. The Visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My eternal gratitude to Tiff for being my beta and working the kinks out of this one for me.
> 
> Well. Not all of the kinks.

Hades threw back the covers. Glowing red in the gloom, the clock on his bedside table read 02:16, sneering at his restlessness. His skin prickled, and his ears rang in the silence of the house. The dogs slept, every single one of them - he even recognised the telltale somnolent energy radiating from Cerberus, somewhere near the library. Instead, their master was awake, seemingly guarding the house in their stead. 

Hades closed his eyes, inhaling slowly through his nose, and exhaling through his mouth. He cleared his mind of all thoughts - of work, of family, of the past - and concentrated on the feel of soft cotton sheets on his skin. He lay motionless for a time, simply drawing breath in and letting it out. Chest rising and falling slowly, evenly. His eyes fluttered closed. 

_ Are you going to hurry up and fuck me? We haven't got all day.  _

Hades groaned, passing his hand across his face in chagrin, wide awake again. At every inopportune moment, the silky, whispered words of that  _ brat  _ haunted him. And yet, the frustration thrilled him on a baser level. The pooling heat in his groin indicated that he felt more than simple irritation with Kore. 

Sighing, he wrapped a hand around his thickening length.  _ Are you going to hurry up and fuck me? _ The delicious, outrageous sentence whirled in his mind, bringing with it memories of smooth pink skin and the deliriously enticing heat between her thighs. He pumped his cock slowly, a shaky sigh escaping from between his lips. 

Begrudgingly unlocking his phone, Hades opened a private browsing session on his Internet explorer. Part of him laughed inwardly at the compulsion, considering his very isolated living situation - but, after all, he'd always been private about his predilections.

A litany of faces and naked bodies littered the page in front of him, and as he scrolled, Kore's voice echoed in his mind. He selected a video, cringing at the vulgarity of the title while simultaneously thrilling at the baseness of it. He skipped to the fun part, past the exposition and the shoddy plot. In his current frame of mind, this shouldn't take long. 

_ What would it be like _ , he wondered, to give in to those baser urges? He could have done it right there in his office: worked himself between her slick folds and plunged into her hot, inviting pussy. He could have watched her writhe beneath him as he fucked her. He would have pressed punishing, biting kisses into her exposed throat as she lay back on the couch, her hair tangled, her lipstick smudged. Would she have tried to command him,  _ King _ , or would she have submitted to him and become pliant and needy under his touch? 

Hades toyed with both ideas, eyes glazed over, the images on his screen becoming more flashes of colour than bodies intertwined. Ephemeral, dual images of Kore took over, one relenting and obedient beneath him, another bossy and domineering, requiring some  _ management.  _ Thumbing his slit, he smeared precum across the head of his cock, fist tightening as he worked himself faster, swallowing thickly at the thought. He wanted to  _ tame _ her, he realised. To impose his authority upon the bright, young creature, to have her treat him with a deference and dignity nobody else could draw from her. It was a kink he hadn't indulged in quite some time, but  _ oh,  _ wasn't she tempting? 

He imagined those words again, but this time, her plump, glossy lips formed different words:  _ please, please fuck me,  _ he heard, and a stuttered groan split the silence of his bedroom.  _ Please, I'll be a good girl.  _

He swore into the velvety silence, feeling the familiar tightening within him, the breathlessness that signalled his oncoming orgasm. He chased it, his world narrowing to this singular point of pleasure, urged on by the memory of shuddering, shivery gasps. 

His phone pinged in his hand, almost forgotten in his reverie. He frowned at the forgotten porn video, his pleasure drenched reasoning wondering dimly why it had made that noise, before clarity came rushing back to him in four words, blinking up at him from the screen. 

**Kore < ** i know you're awake 

Guilty thoughts raced through his mind, quickly followed by cursing whatever being in the universe decided that _now,_ as he was on the cusp of release, was the right time for _this_ _particular goddess_ to strike up a conversation? No, he decided, closing the chat window and refocusing his attentions. This was not to be borne for long it seemed, as another text lit up his phone minutes later. 

**Kore <** rude! dont leave me on read! Talk to me

He rolled his eyes, tapping out a reply. 

**Hades >** What are you doing up so late, little flower? 

**Kore < ** _ img29565.jpg _

He opened the photo. There she stood - her hair long and luxurious, cascading in silky waves down to her waist. Her dress - white, clingy, shimmering in the dim light of the bathroom stall she occupied, was split to the waist, her breasts barely covered by the thin fabric. A long, golden necklace drew the eye down between the curves of her cleavage and down to her sinfully tiny waist. Could he close his hands around it? Probably. His flagging erection helpfully reminded him of its existence, throbbing at the thought. 

The focus of the photo, however, was her face, which captured him beyond the delights of her body. A blank, unreadable look; her eyes ablaze with fury. The depths of her irises were flattened by scarlet wrath, and his arousal gave way to concern. 

**Hades >** You're angry? I thought that bars and clubs were meant to be enjoyable pursuits for young things such as yourself. 

**Kore < ** i thought so too, but paparazzi 

**Kore <** the vultures are just waiting for me to slip up

**Kore < ** i wonder if they'd back off and leave me alone if I just gave them a little of what they wanted 

**Hades > ** like what? 

**Kore < ** idk a nip slip or something. Nothing horrendous 

He snorted, and contemplated her outfit again. It would be so easy. How hard a tug would he have to give on that fabric to expose the pretty peaks of her nipples?

**Hades >** Alas, that's not how they work. You know, Hermes once wore the same outfit out in public every day for a month to stop them from pursuing him? You just have to make life boring for them.

**Kore <** i know. I'm just so sick of being treated like a spectacle. I need to get out of here but I'm basically trapped in this bathroom stall fml

**Hades >** Just transfer home, then. 

A pause. An indication that she was typing, and a pause again. 

**Kore < ** don't laugh

**Kore <** but

**Kore < ** I don't know how

Hades frowned at the admission. A goddess like her, with duties in the mortal realm, should have been taught how to manifest that particular skill by this age. Another memory returned to him -  _ parachuted down to do Spring the way Demeter wants it done.  _ He typed out a reply, before her bratty egoistic response riled him and he changed his mind. 

**Hades > ** Would you like me to teach you now? It's not difficult. I could tell you by text. 

**Kore < ** really? 

**Hades >** Why not? Sleep is currently out of reach for me, anyway. My phone keeps vibrating for some reason. 

**Kore < ** sigh 🙄 ok

He carefully typed out concise, exact instructions. But truly, the best thing for her was to just try it. Even if she got it wrong, she would likely just end up somewhere she didn't expect, looking a little dishevelled. All she had to do was reach for someone, and  _ pull _ . 

**Kore < ** ok one problem with the whole 'connect to someone' thing. My house is empty and all my friends are still somewhere in this club

**Hades > ** Oh. It's a little more complicated to tune in on a location over a person, but I can explain that to you if you'd like. 

**Kore < ** can I come to yours? 

**Kore <** or is that weird since you're my whole ass boss now

_ Whole ass boss _ , he reflected. He guiltily imagined placing hands upon her ass, delightful handfuls of flesh relenting under the pressure of his fingertips. 

Even better - he considered that same posterior rippling and darkening under the strike of an open palm. 

_ Stop it. Focus.  _

**Hades > ** it's not as if you haven't been here before. Sure, come over. You can stay in the room you crashed in last month. 

**Kore <** ok ill try it. See you in a sec maybe! 

Hades smiled at his phone, and sat back in bed, waiting for Kore's arrival. 

Waiting, entirely bereft of any clothing. 

He swore, frantically scrabbling for the sheets as Kore coalesced into being in  _ his bedroom,  _ and promptly fell over. Her chest heaved with a mixture of exertion and exhilaration, and she scrambled up from the floor, eyes shining with delight. 

"I did it!" 

"Congratulations," Hades responded warmly, a picture of calm he didn't feel, smoothing the sheets out across his lap. Kore quirked a brow. 

"You're not dressed for company, Your Majesty." Her dry comment was at odds with her expression, openly appraising his exposed body. 

Hades coughed awkwardly, feeling a blush creep across his cheeks. "Well, you caught me a little unawares, if I'm honest."

"Did you forget you were in your pyjamas?" Kore smirked at him, advancing a step towards the bed. 

"Maybe," he admitted, laughing wryly. He held his hands out in a self deprecating gesture. "I was dressed for bed."

"Are you wearing old man pyjama pants under there?" Her questions were punctuated by a giggle. "I could totally envision you in pyjamas, a bath robe and a pipe. Are they  _ tartan? _ "

He grinned gamely, the blush deepening, much to his internal shame. "Not quite, Princess."

She caught his meaning quickly: now it was her turn to blush. "Oh." Her eyes flickered down again, as if to ensure the covers still remained in the way of her view. Her tiny pink tongue darted out, unconsciously moistening her lower lip, before catching it between her teeth. "I should, er, let you get some rest."

"You could do that," he agreed amiably. 

"Or…" she ventured, twirling a lock of hair around a finger.

The moment hung in the air, crackling with anticipation. He shrugged.  _ No harm in trying.  _

"Or you could join me."

Kore made a noise of assent that could have easily been mistaken for a satisfied purr. She took another two steps towards the bed, before turning and perching on its edge. 

"You can get in, you know," he teased. She turned her head to him, gathering her hair up over her other shoulder. 

"Unzip me," came her imperious response. But oh, he was glad to oblige. 

His fingers brushed away a strand of hair and found the zip. The tiny sounds of zipper teeth freeing from one another and the hissing of the material across itself sounded almost deafening in the silence of the room. She stood again for a moment, shimmying the dress down over her hips. It fell to the floor in a whisper of silk, and Kore daintily stood to one side, finally turning and making eye contact with him. She wore no underwear. All logical thought escaped him for a moment as he drank in the curves of her body. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, placing her hands on her hips defiantly. "What? Never seen a naked goddess before?" came her impish response, clearly an attempt to mask her vulnerability. Hades felt a tightness in his chest he couldn't explain. 

"Beautiful. Just  _ so _ beautiful," he said, surprised at his own earnestness. She smiled. "Nice shoes," he added, noticing the strain in his own voice. The coiling, feverish desire within him left him breathless. Her smile widened, canting her hip to one side and cocking her head to the other. Her long, silky tresses spilled over her shoulder, curling in loose waves around her waist. She stepped out of her heels carefully, and slid in underneath the sheets. 

"Hi," she murmured, pressing her skin greedily against his own. He rolled onto his side, and she wriggled in close, hooking an ankle over his thighs. "Mmm, you're warm." Her bare flesh pressed to his own, every blessed stretch of skin at which they touched a burning point of electricity. 

"I haven't been gallivanting around town wearing a handkerchief, little flower." Hades kissed the tip of her nose, and she wrinkled it, huffing a little laugh through her nose. 

"The sexiest handkerchief  _ you've _ ever seen."

"True," he agreed amiably, lifting the blanket and regarding her form appreciatively. "Let it be known that I prefer what was inside." 

"The contents of my handkerchief?" Kore arched one beautiful brow, barely restraining a broad smile. "I mean… different strokes for different folks, but Hades, I'm kinkshaming."

He groaned. "I asked for that." Changing the subject, he cupped one of her breasts, gliding his thumb over the soft skin of her nipple. It puckered under his touch, firming into a tight little nub that he rolled gently back and forth between two fingers.

She hummed, luxuriating under his touch, leaning back and presenting herself for further examination. His hand slid down her ribcage, thumb tracing the bones visible as she stretched out in his bed. "That's nice."

"Just nice?" He smirked, pressing kisses into the soft skin of her neck. 

"Well, playing with one nipple for five seconds isn't going to make the earth move for me, y'know."

"Fates, you're ungrateful," he chided, no malice in his voice, as he leaned down and flicked his tongue over the tender bud of flesh. She gasped, giving a lewd little noise that thrilled Hades to his core, and reminded him very urgently of the business he'd left unattended before the arrival of his guest. His mouth left her breast with a wet little  _ pop,  _ as he regarded Kore, a flush beginning to dust her cheekbones. She reached between them, clutching desperately at his arms, his chest, anything she could reach. 

"I'll be very grateful if you just fuck me and don't leave me high and dry again, Your Majesty." Kore looked up at him, biting a lip. Her dark, earnest eyes bored into him, and Hades' desire to possess the goddess in his arms burned him from the inside out. 

He couldn't resist, as he resumed pressing hot, insistent kisses to her throat. "What do you say?" 

She groaned in frustration, curling her fingers into his hair. "Gods, you're insufferable. Hades, please!" 

He moaned into her skin, rolling over, the urgency of his need for her clear from the droplet of precum beading at his slit. She circled him with her fist, squeezing and working her hand up and down his length. She pulled him down towards her, their teeth colliding in her haste to press her lips hungrily to his. Hades stretched an arm out blindly, reaching out to clumsily open the top drawer of his nightstand. He scrabbled around before producing a condom, breaking off their kiss for a moment to hurriedly tear the wrapper open and smooth the latex down his shaft. 

" _ Finally _ ," Kore sighed, spreading her legs beneath him and running her fingers between her glistening folds in anticipation. 

Hades aligned his body with her own, rubbing the blunt head of his cock against her, delighting in the shudder he elicited from her with the deliberate slide of his length over her clit. He quirked an eyebrow and opened his mouth to reprimand her for her boldness, before she cut him off. 

"I know, please, please,  _ please,  _ fuck me, I can't bear it -" 

"Good girl," he purred, deep and rumbling. She shuddered, a visceral response to his words that he delighted in. Peppering her body with kisses, Hades worked his cock into the depths of Kore's deliciously soft, wet pussy. She gave a choked cry, digging her fingernails into his back, arching her lithe frame to press against his chest. He canted his hips against her, thrusting experimentally, gauging her response to his size. "Too much?" he asked, breath hot against the delicate pink shell of her ear. Shaking her head, she wrapped her legs around his hips, seating him deeply inside her. 

"Not enough," came her throaty response, canting her hips against him. Hades groaned, relishing the grind of the base of his dick against her clit. "Fucking fates, you feel good," she hissed, her words replaced by breathless gasps as he picked up his pace. Her hand snaked between them once more, two fingers circling her most sensitive spot. 

Hades groaned his satisfaction. "Yes, fuck. Bring yourself off for me. Show me how you come." 

She whimpered as he pulled back from her, rising to a kneeling position, his own frame casting Kore into shadow, silhouetted in the velvet darkness of the room. He grasped her hips firmly, pulling her down the bed and permitting him easier access to her dripping entrance. He gazed down at her, and she met his gaze with needy, vulnerable eyes. Her free arm worked its way across herself, almost as if to hide her naked frame, and he reached out deliberately to entwine her fingers with his own. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, that tightness squeezing hard around his heart again. Kore gave him an unreadable look, but squeezed his own hand in return, and when she loosened her fingers from his, she made no attempt to cover her form. 

"Come on, Princess," he crooned, his hips snapping up into her unrelentingly, "touch yourself. Show me what you do to yourself when there's nobody else there.  _ Show me _ ."

Her fingers flicked obediently across her clit, making quick work of driving herself towards the brink, pleasure blossoming within her as she gasped shallowly. Hades' throaty, appreciative words spurred her on, his voice, his cock and his  _ instructions _ driving her mercilessly towards climax. She came with a shaky wail, her walls clenching desperately around him. Hades swore, descending on her and kissing her furiously, his thrusts becoming more frantic as he followed suit, coming so hard his vision closed in at the edges and the world rang aloud for a moment. 

"Whew!" Kore exhaled shakily, resting her head against his shoulder for a moment, slick with sweat. Her hair clung to her forehead in damp, errant curls, and she brushed it carelessly away as she lay back beneath him. "That was…"

"Yeah," he agreed, eloquently, kissing her again. She responded fervently, slipping her tongue deliberately into his mouth, hands laced around his neck. He withdrew, hissing through his teeth at the overstimulation. Getting to his feet with only a minor stumble, Hades made a quick detour to the bathroom, disposing of the condom and returning with a glass of water, which he proffered to Kore as he slid back into bed. She gratefully accepted, gulping the water down before offering the glass back to him. He placed it on the nightstand, settling back down into bed. She wriggled in under one arm. 

"I'm a cuddler," she declared, smug in her certainty. He laughed warmly, squeezing her by way of response. She smiled into his chest. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. You're quite a pleasant bedfellow, as they go."

She giggled, heaving a sigh. "This is the most relaxed I've felt in months. I've been so edgy and restless lately. It feels good to work off some nervous energy, you know?" 

"Mmm, I know what you mean." He grinned at her. "Perhaps an inadvisable method, considering I'm your boss, though."

"Um, some lady called Dryope is  _ my _ boss. I don't know you. Never seen you at work, save for one unmemorable interview," she replied blithely, slinging her leg over his own. He tangled his hand into her curls, warm and comfortable. "Besides, that's never stopped you before.  _ Everyone _ knows about your fling with your PA. You were banging that chick all over the place, from what I heard."

He narrowed his eyes.  _ True, but…  _ "Kore. That was incredibly rude. Do you even  _ kn _ ow how to shut that dirty mouth of yours?"

She crept in closer. "Nope. Maybe someone ought to teach me."

The proposition hung in the air between them, heavy with unspoken meaning. Hades, his mouth dry, his throat tight, contemplated the proposal. She smirked defiantly at him, nestling back against his hand curled in her hair. He tightened his grasp minutely, and her breath caught in her throat. 

"Is that what you want, little flower? Someone to teach you how to behave?"

She blushed crimson. Kore burrowed under the covers. "Umm," she replied from somewhere down at chest height, comforters and pillows bunched around her face. 

"Hey." Hades coaxed her free, tilting her chin upwards. He kissed her, sweetly this time - or, at least, that had been his intention, before finding his senses overwhelmed with myriad unnameable floral scents when Kore pulled him in closer. Her kiss grew feverish, openly  _ wanting _ .

"Oh," he managed, breathless as they parted. "Alright then." She tittered, pressing her face against him again to hide her blush. He kissed the top of her head. "For tonight, let's just go to sleep, hmm?" 

She hummed her acquiesce, turning over and taking hold of his hand impetuously. "I call little spoon."

"Naturally," Hades replied, his eyes shutting of their own accord, his own voice almost unrecognisable to him in its warmth.


	7. The Internship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Fae for betaing this chapter for me! ❤️

That night might as well have happened to someone else, Kore reflected, tapping her foot as she waited restlessly for her order.

She didn’t regret it, not by any stretch of the imagination. Even considering the aftermath, she felt a little pull of desire, low in her abdomen, knowing exactly how he kissed. How he fucked. What she could have done without knowing were the other parts, like how his face lit up when he was teaching her things, gesturing animatedly as he explained the finer points of transference in the small hours of the morning. How his arm curled up between her breasts and his fingers caressed her jawline in his sleep. How he shuddered in his dreams like a wounded creature.

How he smiled as he roused from his slumber, bleary and vulnerable as the ethereal lights of his kingdom slowly shifted to signal the morning.

Kore thanked the barista absentmindedly and slipped out of the door of the busy coffee shop, leaning awkwardly to check her watch without spilling coffee. Eight minutes late already, and that didn’t take into consideration the time it would take to get to Tower Block One and ride up in the elevator to Floor 98.

Unwelcome, unbidden thoughts of _that night_ helpfully leapt to mind, and she swore under her breath as she unceremoniously elbowed her way between dawdling pedestrians. The way he’d openly admired her nakedness, the filthy words he’d whispered into her ear, the visible desire in his expression as he’d watched her touch herself…

She groaned in frustration, pressing her free hand to her face. _Stupid. Stupid to go there, stupid to get into his bed. Especially fucking stupid to think it might mean something._ The crowds surrounding her parted as she felt her frustration with herself bubbling up, and she ran a hand through her hair, trying to tame the wild thorny strands that she _knew_ would be there.

If only she’d never broached the topic, things might have been very different for this past month. “So, how do we navigate this,” she’d asked, once her legs had stopped trembling from her third orgasm of the morning, “considering you’re my literal boss?”

He’d made a face and sat up, skin still beaded with sweat. “Well, we’re both adults. It’s not as if we’re incapable of remaining professional.”

“Well, yeah, I guess that’s true,” she’d agreed, stretching out next to him in bed.

“I mean, obviously if you’re concerned, we don’t have to continue this. There’s no reason to make things uncomfortable between us. We can still be friendly after this, surely?” He looked away from her, wearing a difficult to read expression. Was he guilty? Remorseful? Uncomfortable?

Kore stormed through the foyer, all other beings giving her a wide berth at this point. As she marched straight into an elevator, she scoffed at herself and jabbed the button for her floor so hard that she winced. The pain brought her back to her senses, and she shook her gloved hand. _Breathe, Kore. You can’t turn up to work looking like this. Not when it’s already pretty clear your boss - and her boss - have no interest in your feelings whatsoever._

The main thing she’d taken from this moment was one single, very clear signal: he’d leapt at the first chance to cut short anything that might develop between them. She’d laughed lightly and said some vague words of agreement, hating herself for them. She didn’t even remember exactly what she’d said - the words _sure, cool_ were a certainty. She’d definitely said that it was _kind of a relief_. And she was pretty sure she’d said something about them _being on the same page._

_Ugh. Idiot._

There was one thing that had confused her, however. As she’d dressed, she’d said some words of thanks, and something casual and light about their time together being a good stress reliever. That way, she could remain in control of the narrative, and he’d be none the wiser that she was about to transfer home to her bedroom and cry into her pillow.

He’d caught hold of her hands and made her face him, and said “Kore, the offer I made you last night still stands. If you do need to, uh, _let off steam_ again, don’t hesitate to drop me a line. We could be of some mutual benefit to one another, perhaps? It certainly seems that our predilections align.”

“Okay, cool, I’ll let you know,” she’d said brightly, smiling as wide as she could to stop tears from falling. _I don’t want it to be like this,_ she had thought. _I don’t want to fool myself into thinking that I can be with you if that’s all it'll ever be._ She'd promised herself she wouldn't stoop to that level - to allow herself to imagine romantic feelings where there were none. 

Kore noticed the tiny elevator sprite gave her a sympathetic look as she leaned against the mirror, before scrunching her eyes shut. _Don’t cry again. That’s not who you are. The princess doesn’t cry in public, remember?_

“Men, right?” the little creature offered up, shockingly astute. Kore laughed, despite herself.

“How did you know?”

“I see a lot of beings every day. You get to know the signs, believe me,” she shrugged shyly. 

“You’re not wrong.” Kore gave her a wry smile.

“Well, whoever he is - I bet he ain’t shit.” She snorted at this, giving the sprite a knowing grin, wondering how different the girl’s response would be if she knew who exactly it was that she’d just described. Kore extended her hand, and she exchanged a tiny high-five with her newfound companion as the elevator announced its arrival with an all-too-cheery _ding._

“Bye!” she called, scurrying down the corridor towards her office. She burst in through the door to the Department of Natural Disasters, out of breath.

“Oh, there you are. Hurry up. Couldn’t you juggle your coffee orders and your phone at the same time?” Her supervisor, Dryope, archly raised an eyebrow, pausing to look at her watch for effect.

Kore laughed, before realising the dryad in front of her was serious. She frowned. “There was an accident in the coffee shop. Someone fainted. We had to wait for her wife to come collect her before the coffee shop would start serving again...I did text you.”

“Hmm...Of course you texted.” Dryope smirked at her, and Kore bit her tongue. Again. “Call the office next time, alright?” She lifted her own coffee cup out of the holder, leaving Kore to scramble to upright the other three cups, and beckoned for her to follow. She complied, following her supervisor down the corridors that had become the bane of her existence in the last month. Filing photocopies, filling coffee orders and inputting data had become the banal fare of her Wednesdays, and rather than enjoying the opportunities that being in the Underworld brought, (namely, the opportunity to see its King), she had begun to count down the days until her 250 required hours had been filled. The monotony was unbearable and Kore was beginning to feel prickly.

_My one free day every week is filled with this drudgery,_ she thought. And to add insult to injury, she was on the receiving end of radio silence from Hades. Other than exchanging one or two pleasantries via text, he had been completely out of contact for the last month. (If she hadn’t been juggling seven coffees in her hands, she would have checked her phone again now.) He was apologetic, something about an influx of souls and incompetent staff taking up too much of his time, but the fact remained that he wasn’t making time for _her_ , since that night. He had claimed they could still be friends. He had claimed that night wouldn’t change things. This, combined with the utter futility of working an administrative job, learning Shade-level skills that she would _never utilise again_ once she graduated, was beginning to become too much to bear. As she followed Dryope down the long, winding corridors of Tower Block One, Kore reflected that she would likely be unable to wait much longer for something interesting to happen without getting into trouble. 

_Everyone will be so disappointed. Eros will have to reset his counter. ‘Days without a newspaper story about Kore’s temper: zero.’_

She hovered in the back of the meeting room, waiting to see if all of the chairs at the table would be filled this time before she took a seat. After an embarrassing encounter two weeks prior where she was asked to stand, Kore had learned her lesson. And yet, even this choice invoked the ire of someone at the table: “Hey, gossip girl, why are you standing there like a spare part? Come sit down so we can get started!”

_Just waiting for a better offer,_ she hissed internally, readying the words on the tip of her tongue before she remembered herself. _Breathe, Kore._ Instead, she smiled thinly and pulled up a chair. The meeting began: an update about some irregularities in the mortal realm, led by someone she didn’t recognise from the field team: a satyr with a long, intricately braided beard. He smiled and winked at Kore, as if she were in on a joke that he’d yet to tell her.

“Glad to have you on board, sweetheart.” She gave him a little smile, and sent a sultry glance his way, just for a second. It wouldn’t do, to completely give up the persona she’d cultivated. Not yet. The satyr’s grin widened, and he turned back to the screen behind him. “Okay. So, here’s the scenario.”

Twisting a stray thread on her skirt, Kore phased out of the talk. It wouldn’t involve her, anyway. Sometimes she was asked to take minutes of the meetings, but apparently not today - so she was just being trotted out at this briefing to impress the field team coordinator, more than likely. Maybe he’d go back out, make some lecherous comment to his teammates and earn some bragging rights about flirting with a goddess in a meeting at head office. 

While she daydreamed about bigger, better things, the tone of conversation changed. A few others around the table laughed. One of them sounded incredulous. She looked up to find an array of eyes fixed on her, and she blushed.

“What?”

“Sorry, are we boring you?” Dryope glowered down the table at Kore, clearly embarrassed. Kore’s poor performance, she knew, would reflect badly upon her supervisor. 

“She’s not been able to upload anything to her Nymphstagram story in a couple of hours, Dry. She’s probably feeling out of sorts.”

“Oh, so you noticed? Always nice to meet a fan,” she spat out, the thrill of _finally_ saying something combined with the horror of knowing that she wasn’t supposed to be saying _anything,_ and she bit down on the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood.

The nymph in question spluttered, outraged, struggling to form a response. The awkwardness hung in the air, until the satyr - Symios, she had gleaned - laughed.

“Well, you can hardly blame the kid, can you? Get off her back.” He rolled his eyes conspiratorially at Kore. “They’re all like this up here. I tell you what - why don’t you come and fulfil some of your internship hours on site? We could do with a couple more hands on deck at Ioannina, truth be told.”

Kore glanced at her supervisor, who contemplated the idea, like someone summarily weighing an unpleasant taste in their mouth. “I don’t know if that’s quite what the King had in mind when he placed her in this department, Symios.”

He snorted. “Ah, he won’t mind - probably won’t even notice.” She twinged internally - was that true? “Besides, if a fresh pair of eyes can help us gain an insight into what the hell is happening at that lake and get the naiads to stop taking up so much of his time, I’m sure he would be thrilled. Have you seen the Monday Audience line lately? You can’t move for fins.” A couple of naiads at the desk tutted their displeasure, and he bowed apologetically to them. “Sorry, ladies. It’s true, though.” His gaze focused on Kore, then, and he shot her a lopsided grin. “So what do you say, Kore? Coming down to where the real action is?”

“Absolutely,” she breathed, thrilled at the idea that she would finally be able to be of some use. Shooting a glance at Dryope, she added “as long as that won’t be a problem for anyone here.”

Dryope rolled her eyes. “Fine. Take her. It frees up my schedule to work on a couple of things, anyway. Just make sure you follow the procedures, log all of the appropriate records. You know, the usual intern supervision forms. You’ve filled those out before, right?”

“Sure, yeah, of course.” Symios waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not like I’ve been working here for thirty years or anything.” He grinned. “Coming?”

* * *

Under her mother’s careful supervision, Kore had been here before. She’d only ever been permitted to be in the mortal realm for a couple of weeks at a time since her powers had come in, and even then, she had never been alone. So trailing her feet in the shallows of the lake, waiting for some of the field team to finish collecting samples, was a wonderful way to while away some time. Sure, she wasn’t doing much, but at least she could enjoy herself while she wasn’t being useful.

In her mortal flesh - a thrill all of its own, as Mama had always created her glamour for her before today - she felt beautiful. She marvelled at the thick, soft texture of her hair, and the depth of her brown skin. Symios had laughed when he saw her, declaring her to be a sight for sore eyes. “There’s not many African women in Ioannina, Kore, but I like the look. It suits you.” She had beamed, pleased with his response. And now, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin and the fresh, cool lake water lapping at her ankles, she felt at home.

She idly watched the shoreline across the lake, on the islet that stood dark and compelling in the middle of Pamvotis. The darkness of the forest made her skin prickle with an indescribable, unnameable repulsion - and yet, she couldn’t look away.

“Kore, take these back to the tent, would you?” Scrambling up onto her feet, she nodded and accepted the tray of samples from another technician she didn’t know. She smiled quickly and returned to her work. The tent - where the makeshift lab was located - was about half a mile around the shoreline, and it gave her a good opportunity to get a look at the islet in the middle of the lake from another angle.

The team had already decided that there was likely something wrong with one of the rivers feeding the lake, and they were attempting to figure out which one. This hadn’t led to much productive investigation as of yet, and Kore didn’t much follow their reasoning. _If there was something wrong with the water itself, the naiads would know_ , she thought.

Hera’s words echoed in her mind, a reminder: _I prefer the power of power,_ she had said. Truth be told, she felt a new respect for that mentality - allowing people to underestimate her had the benefit of surprising people with her capability, and yet, it also had the drawback of, shockingly, people underestimating her. 

That had never bothered her before.

She looked down at the samples. Reaching out, just a little, she pushed against the tiny plugs of soil from the shore. They were teeming with life, unspoiled and pure, a warm, happy pulse cozying up contentedly to the force she touched the samples with. A tiny shoot even blossomed out of the top of one of the plugs, a tiny grass seed joyously awakening and bursting forth, a thing it had struggled to do in the sandy soil of the shoreline. 

Oops. 

She withdrew quickly, remembering the express instructions given to her by Symios: _don’t fuck with anything._ Scurrying up the hill to the tent, she brandished the tray at someone in a lab coat. “Hi, these are from Quadrant 85, I don’t know anything about them, so don’t ask me. Okay, bye!” Kore turned on her heel and ran back to her previous spot, cheeks burning. Hopefully nobody would notice. It was only a minor mistake, and really, if anyone called her on it, she would just tell them it happened by accident. It was true - she had only intended to look at the earth, to see what state it was in. If anything, they ought to listen to her. _They’re searching the wrong places for the problem._

Kore looked over at the islet again, scuffing her bare feet against the tiny, prickly shoots of grass where she stood. It called to her: dark, unknowable, horridly compelling. She reached out from that well of power within her, stretching as far as she could across the lake. It quavered, the pressure in her chest tight, like the stretching of a rubber band just before it snaps. Resisting the urge to give in to that pressure, Kore pressed on, forcing tendrils of her power out along the lake bed instead, where it greedily hugged the ground. Moving forward was easier now, and she breathed raggedly as she leaned into it, sweat trickling down her back under her peplos. Edging closer and closer, the very edges of her senses tasted something _wrong_ on the ground ahead.

“Kore!”

Distracted, Kore opened her eyes and cast about blindly. The barrier she had been forging through instantly solidified, and her senses were jerked back into her body with a lurching feeling that made her nauseous. Collapsing to her knees, she heaved into the verdant greenery at her feet, bringing up the acrid contents of her stomach. Someone nearby made a sound of disgust. Another laughed openly, mockingly. She couldn’t breathe - couldn’t see. A choked sob escaped from her, as she curled her fingers into the plant life beneath her to ground herself.

“Kore, are you alright?” A familiar voice, now - Symios was behind her, a reassuring hand placed between her shoulder blades. “What’s going on?”

Her vision slowly cleared, and she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand guiltily. “I - um…” She realised that confessing would likely land her in hot water - but lying would likely have worse implications. “I was trying to see what was out there.” Kore waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the lake.

He pulled a face. “You mean, on the islet? We eliminated that from our investigation pretty early on, Kore. Nothing’s set foot there in centuries.”

“I know,” she protested, “but -”

Dismay coloured his features as he stood up, offering her a hand up out of the undergrowth. “Honestly, Kore, I wish you’d have asked someone first.” He sighed, scratching behind one of his horns. “I took a risk asking you to come here, because I know what it’s like up at headquarters, and I thought the experience in the mortal realm would do you some good. But you’ve embarrassed me here.”

“What did I do?” she contested hotly. _People are looking. Cool it, Kore. Relax._ “I mean, I didn’t mean to do any harm, I -”

“Kid, just look around for me, will you?” She did as she was told. The previously barren ground bordering the lake positively bloomed with life - flowers and plants not native to the area, growing and thriving happily under the warmth of the sun. 

“Oh, no…” she pressed her fingers to her eyes, pushing hard. “Fuck.”

Symios sighed, his voice gentle. “Look, Kore. I know you didn’t mean any harm, but the mortals are pretty uncomfortable about us being here, _working magic_ ,” he rolled his eyes at this, drawing imaginary quotation marks around the words, “as it is. Now, a goddess rocks up and starts transforming their shoreline with no rhyme or reason? It looks bad. You guys get a pretty shitty rep with the mortals at times, and these kinds of stunts are why.” She winced at _stunts,_ as if she’d done it on purpose.

“But I didn’t mean to do anything. It’s only a couple of plants, surely it won’t make a difference,” she countered, knowing what the response would be as soon as the words left her mouth.

He looked at her mildly, his disapproval clear. “You’re a goddess of the natural world. You practically breathe plants. You know as well as I do that’s not the case. Think about the damage this could do to the ecosystem here, yeah? The balance is delicate. I need you to fix this.”

“I don’t know how.” Kore’s voice came out small, ashamed. “I don’t even know what I did.”

“So?” He shrugged. “Everyone has to learn at some point.” He turned and headed back to the lab, making shooing motions at the others who had congregated to watch Kore’s public chastisement. “Everyone learns from their mistakes, Kore. Including you, when you’re given the chance.”

She sat in amongst the plants, combing her fingers through the heather beneath her. His parting words had stung like a slap in the face. She had been so excited to finally be of some use, to be helping, and she’d already screwed up. 

Everyone else had left to tend to their duties, she noticed, as she glanced around, guilt and shame festering in the pit of her stomach. Irritation twanged in every nerve in her body. Her clothes itched, her hair tickled uncomfortably, sticking in sweaty stands to the nape of her neck. She wanted to cry - to scream - to do _something_. 

This was bad. This was how she felt before she did things that she regretted afterwards. She’d already broken the rule about leaving the realm as the mortals had found it, so why not break another about cellphones?

A promise she'd made to herself? Well, she'd broken those before, countless times. 

**_Kore >> you know the offer you made before about blowing off steam_ **

**_Kore >> im there._ **


	8. Steam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lmao

Hades laughed at her, a warm sound, as his arms encircled her waist. The front door banged idly in the breeze behind her, as she had practically thrown herself into the room (and into his arms, frankly) as he greeted her. Not that it mattered, mind - she had other things to concern herself with, and after a long, frustrating day, not only was she finally done picking petunias out of her hair, but she was _here_. Kore kissed him, the King of the Underworld smiling indulgently into her fervent ministrations. He held her gently in his arms, her heels dangling precariously, feet far from the floor. Entwining her own arms around his neck, she fisted her hands in his hair and pulled, driving her tongue between his teeth, prickly and tense and yet wordlessly relieved to feel his presence again.

“Good evening, Miss Kore,” he finally chuckled, hefting her mass carefully into the crook of one arm as he pushed the door closed. It shut with a definite _click,_ and the sound settled into her with a delicious satisfaction. She was alone with him, once again - and incredibly aware of the fact that he carried her as if she weighed _nothing._

“Hey there,” she purred, breathing into the soft shell of his ear. 

He laughed, shaking his head as if to disapprove, but she could see the hairs on the back of his neck, and from her close vantage point, she admired the effect she had upon his body. 

_If nothing else, I have this._

“You’re something else, princess,” he admonished her, pinching her ample backside. She wriggled delightedly. “Are you hungry?”

“Nope, ate before I came over.”

“Well, can I offer you a soft drink?” 

“I’d like to see you try to make a whiskey sour one handed,” she responded blithely, slipping her fingers between his shirt buttons. “I think you’d have trouble making one of those while hauling my ass around.”

He grinned. “Is that a bet?”

She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. “Nope. You’d probably do it super easily and just make me mad.”

His eyes flashed with mirth. “I think you’re right.” With that, he turned on his heel and headed for the living room. The dark furniture and clean, cold lines of the furniture were exactly what she’d expected, even though she’d never seen this room before. Hades’ house, it seemed, had a theme. “Besides,” he continued, as if his train of thought had never been broken, “I didn’t offer you an alcoholic drink for a reason.” 

“Oh?” She quirked an eyebrow expectantly, as he lowered her to the leather couch. She held her arms out to him, her legs splayed encouragingly, and tutted as he sat down next to her, ignoring her invitation.

“Oh, indeed, princess,” he teased. “I want to do something that I need you sober for.”

She smirked, stretching her legs out and resting her feet in his lap. She knew he’d like the shoes. His breath caught for a moment, and he reverently held one foot in his huge hands, dwarfing the tiny profile of her foot in the perilously high heels. He cupped one hand around her heel and pulled gently, removing the shoes from her feet one by one. Placing the pumps by the side of the couch, he looked back up at her, ever so slightly flushed, but clearly meaning business.

Kore slowly began to work one foot up his thigh.

“Kore, sit up. Listen, now.” His voice was firm, sharp, even. She wriggled up out of her supine position and sat next to him on the sofa, legs crossed beneath her. She laced her fingers together and pressed her lips shut, a vision of obedience. He waited expectantly, and she hated the vindicatory gleam she saw in his eye when she broke character and giggled.

“You knew I was going to laugh.”

“Without a doubt,” he agreed easily, sitting back against the plush couch cushion behind him. “But you need to be serious about this. Genuinely serious, little flower, otherwise this goes no further, understand?”

“Wow, okay, sure.” She raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Go for it.”

“What I wanted to do was talk a little about boundaries.” Hades fixed her with a searching gaze. “Likes, dislikes, expectations and so on. I get the impression that this is new to you.”

She shivered, excitement thrilling against her very skin from the inside. “And this, to be totally clear, is…”

His brow furrowed slightly. “I thought that part was already clear, honestly. Dominance and submission, Kore, is what I mean when I say _this._ More specifically, my dominance, your submission. Does that clarify enough for you?”

Her mouth dried up immediately. Shit, was she already wet? She shifted guiltily in her seat, knowing she had blushed to hear the words out loud. She nodded, swallowing heavily.

“And I would also be right, from this response, when I said that this is something you’ve little experience of prior to this.”

She nodded again, finally gaining enough of her senses in hand to respond with words. “I mean, I’ve done kinky stuff before, but never so…um...”

“Hmm.” He nodded. “Yes, I would imagine so. All of the fun parts, none of the discipline, knowing you.” She giggled guiltily. Why did that make her feel guilty? “Now, tell me: when you say ‘kinky stuff,’ what does that exactly entail?”

“Well, a girl never kisses and tells,” she chirped, giving him a wink, before catching his gaze. His expression was stern, unimpressed - she quailed a little. “Some stuff with handcuffs. A little bit of, um. Light spanking. You know, the normal stuff.”

“The normal stuff,” he echoed, smiling that indulgent smile again. “Of course.”

Silence dragged out between them, a silence she was desperate to fill, but had no idea how.

“Well, I was thinking that I might enjoy spanking you tonight, to be honest,” he eventually said, at length, when the silence had become almost unbearable. “I would love to see your pretty pink ass all rosy and sore.”

Just as she felt as if her burning face had abated, his words brought fresh colour to her face.

“You’re blushing again,” he observed calmly. _How does he keep his cool?_ “You like that idea.”

She nodded.

“Oh, no, Kore. You’re not getting away with it that easily. Tell me what you want me to do.” Kore mumbled under her breath. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “No. Not good enough, little flower. Say the words, out loud.”

“Iwantyoutospankme,” she forced out, covering her eyes with her hands. She giggled nervously, feeling the blistering heat radiating from her face where her palms pressed against it.

“Sir,” he said. She frowned, and uncovered her face to discover that he’d leaned in, teasing and lustful and commanding all at once. His hands encircled her wrists, gently keeping her from returning to her prior pose. “Say the whole thing, slower.” She hesitated.

“I can’t look at you and say that!” she squawked indignantly. “It’s too embarrassing!”

Hades shrugged, ever at ease. “I fail to see why, I’m the one who is going to actually do it to you, on the proviso you ask nicely. And I’m rather looking forward to getting my hands on that pretty bottom of yours.”

“I just can’t!”

“Alright. So close your eyes.”

She did so. Taking a shuddering breath in, she slowly, carefully shaped the delicious words. “I want you to spank me, Sir.”

He groaned now, leaning in and claiming her lips in one all-too-brief kiss. “Good girl,” he praised her throatily. “Now, come and lie across my lap, face down.”

She complied. The cool air of the lounge felt fresh against the bare backs of her thighs, which had grown clammy against the leather cushions. Hades hitched up her dress above her waist, and made an appreciative sound. She wiggled her butt at him, and he stilled her with a cautionary press of his cool hand to the soft flesh of one cheek.

“Sit still.”

She did so.

“I had intended to go over this earlier,” he began, conversationally, running his hand over the swell of her ass. “You were determined to not have a conversation, however, which was remarkably frustrating.” His fingertips skimmed underneath the lace edging of her panties, and she sighed. “A truly shocking way to conduct yourself, but a game I understand, now. For all your filthy mouth, Miss Kore, you’re something of a prude when it comes to actually talking about sex.” He placed both hands on her hips and gently tugged at her underwear. She lifted up off his lap just enough to allow him to work them down past her hips, and he slipped them off her legs with ease.

“Conveniently, you don’t have to talk right now, Princess. Just listen for a moment. I am going to spank you - to strike your ass with my open palm. It should hurt. I am going to check in with you regularly. You are familiar with the traffic light system, I trust?” She nodded. “Good. Explain it to me, please.”

“Red for stop, green for go,” she breathed, her eyes fluttering closed almost of their own volition. “At least, that’s what it is for cars, isn’t it? I assume here’s the same.” She squeezed her thighs together greedily, her pussy empty and wanting.

“That’s it, in essence. The same applies to this type of play. With a response of ‘green,’ I will continue exactly as we are. With a response of ‘yellow,’ I will slow down or pause, so that we can adjust to make our play more comfortable for you. Obviously, red entails a complete halt to all pursuits. Does that seem clear?”

“Yes.” Kore nodded eagerly. 

He waited expectantly. She didn't have to turn to feel the disapproval rolling off him in waves. 

“Oh, shit. Um. Yes, Sir.”

“Follow instructions, Princess. I think ten will suffice for this evening.” He removed his hand from her skin, and she waited, holding her breath, for the impact. "Count."

_What?_ “Count?” She frowned, and began to turn to look at him, when his palm connected soundly with her cheek, a cracking noise splitting through the cool air and echoing back off the wall. She squeaked, a burn blossoming out from the flesh. 

“ _Count,_ ” he repeated, his voice stern, tightly controlled. 

“One,” she responded, her voice quavering. _How am I so turned on? He's barely touched me._ She squeezed her legs together, attempting to put some pressure on her slick pussy. 

“Good girl. Now, don’t wriggle around like that.” He soothed his cool palm over the burning skin. “I will touch you, eventually.” She whimpered despite herself. “Color?” Hades enquired politely, as if he was asking about the weather, rather than asking her how she was feeling, lying bent over his lap with her ass in the air

“Green,” she breathed, allowing her eyes to close.

“Good.” She could hear the smirk in his voice. He hummed, a leisurely sound. An ‘ _I could do this all evening’_ kind of sound. 

_Crack._

“Ah! Two!” Hades’ strike had landed on the same patch of skin as before, and the pain that had just begun to dull into a quiet throb ignited anew with a searing burn. Kore gasped for breath. The strikes continued. Number three landed on her other cheek, as did four, in quick succession. She trembled, her mouth forming the names of numbers of its own volition, the crisp, smarting pain the only thing that she could focus on - the anticipation of impact almost as exciting as the sensation itself.

“You’re behaving remarkably well all of a sudden, Princess,” he crooned, running his palm over her skin - she could feel herself radiating warmth. “I should have had you over my knee weeks ago.”

She couldn’t restrain a moan. Shifting in his lap, she could feel the slickness of her wanting cunt, desperate to be filled. “Please,” she begged mindlessly.

“Please, what?”

“Please, Sir!” She knew she must look a mess - her makeup smeared from pressing her face into the couch, her hair a tangled mess, her pussy pink and swollen, clamoring for attention. She writhed, pushing down against his lap. She could feel his erection, an insistent pressure against her hip, and yet, the thought of him fucking her was a distant, far-off thing. Everything except the blistering contact between his hand and her skin seemed to have dropped away. Her awful day, the pressures of work, the obligations to others, her reputation, her polished, venomous exterior - all fell away, like luxuries forgotten in light of something much, much more pressing.

“You misunderstand me, little flower. What do you need from me?” _Crack_. 

“Fuck! Six,” she cried, realising with a lurch that she’d gotten it wrong. The soothing caress of his palm across her smarting skin stopped, and he retracted his hand.

“ _Five_ , Princess.” He spanked her again, clipping her bottom hard and eliciting a yelp from her. “ _That_ was six. I require your focus.”

“I’m sorry, Sir, it won’t happen again,” she babbled, her face burning to match her ass, which she was sure at this point must be as red as a cherry. “I got distracted by - by -”

“By what? Pray, tell.” The smirk in his voice had returned, as had his hand. She flinched at the pressure of his hand against her skin. _I swear, I can feel his hand moving toward me in the air._ He squeezed her ass, and allowed his hand to sink into the space between her thighs. “Is there something else you’d rather I be doing?”

“No, sir,” she quavered. His fingertips pressed against her cleft and she whimpered pathetically.

“Are you sure?”

“No, sir.” He chuckled at her guilty response, slipping two fingers inside her, working in and out of her channel slowly, drawing ragged gasps from her.

“Good girl.” He crooked his fingers forward inside her, stroking her g-spot. “So wet,” he murmured admiringly, twisting his hand as to elicit filthy noises from her outrageously wet pussy. Withdrawing his fingers, he reached up to her clit and smeared her own wetness across her, rubbing tiny circles around that delicate bud, pushing her insistently up towards her climax, and just as she was about to break - _crack_ \- he spanked her with his free hand.

She wailed, the pain and pleasure cresting all at once, her pussy clenching desperately as she came, wetness trickling down her thighs. 

“Count.”

“Seven!” Her body felt like jelly. All she could think of was his hands on her skin. Nothing else felt real, in this floaty, abstract, timeless space.

“Color.” Hades’ voice was level and his demeanor was so tightly controlled, but her heart gave a delighted little flutter. She realised his care for her, even when doling out punishment like this. He was content to inflict pain upon her - but he would not _hurt_ her.

“Green,” she purred, canting her hips back against his hand, still a heavy, insistent pressure between her thighs. He spread her folds, massaging her wetness around her clit. Humming with delight, she pressed back needily into his hand, which he swiftly retracted and used for a different purpose - delivering two punishing strokes to the back of her thighs. Her own juices added an unexpected bite to the strike, and she sobbed as she counted them out.

There was silence in the room, save for her own fervent, needy panting. He’d said ten would suffice - did he mean it? Would he carry on? A quiver of fear flitted across her mind. He could continue like this, and she knew she would let him. Would he stop, as agreed? Did she _want him_ to stop? Her burning backside throbbed painfully now. She knew without reaching back that she would have raised handprints if she were to trace her own fingers over the prickling skin. The word _red_ hung in the air before her. She could stop this, if it felt too overwhelming. She knew he would stop - but that tantalising fear did strange things to her. 

_Crack_. She swore into the couch, the leather beneath her face slick with condensation from her own panting exhales.

“Good girl,” he praised her, his voice cracking minutely. “Come here, my Princess, my wonderful girl,” he gathered her up in his arms, kissing her urgently, sitting her atop his lap. She gasped with relief into his mouth as he devoured her, working her dress up and over her head. His own head fell to her breasts, hot and heavy and desperately neglected this whole time. His tongue laved across a nipple, sucking it into his mouth and circling the tender flesh. Her hands worked frantically at his belt, striving to free his erection from where it lay, a hard line against his slacks. He moaned against her flesh as she encircled it with a hand, pumping him deliberately.

“Kore - may I -” he looked up at her, his gaze scorching her with passionate, open need, their roles forgotten in this moment.

“Yes, fucking fates, _yes,_ ” she hissed. He leaned forward, reaching past her to the coffee table. She giggled as he forced her to lean precariously back, wrapping her arms around his neck. He snatched up a condom from underneath some artfully placed magazines and made short work of sheathing himself in the latex. “Scoundrel,” she playfully admonished, “you had this planned the whole time.”

“‘You had this planned the whole time,’ _Sir,_ ” he responded darkly, lining his blunt head up with her entrance and pushing into her in one swift motion. Her eyes widened and a stuttered cry escaped her lips as he bottomed out in her. He kept up the relentless pace, hips snapping up into her, the almost unbearable fullness and the biting feel of his skin meeting her poor punished flesh nearly overwhelming. She cried out, high, breathless moans as he fucked her. “Such a good girl, with a little instruction. So well behaved, so fucking beautiful…” he wound the fingers of one hand into her hair and pulled her close, peppering her exposed neck with biting, sucking kisses. “Come for me again, Princess.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. Kore rested her head on his shoulder as he thrust deep inside her, the thick head of his cock putting pressure on the most sensitive places inside her. His arms wrapped her up, one hand still curled into the hot, sticky hair at the base of her head, the other splayed possessively across the small of her back. She inhaled his intoxicating scent, revelled in the wet noises of their union, ran her tongue across the beads of sweat trickling down his neck, senses entirely inundated with this God, still murmuring fervent, worshipful words into her skin as he approached his own climax, his breath coming in ragged gasps and his hips stuttering on the relentless pace he’d been keeping up beneath her. She kissed him, pressing her little hands greedily to his jawline, carding her fingers through his fair hair, watching him as he screwed his eyes shut and came, his thick cock pulsing inside her, the final thing that brought her crashing through her own release.

“Fuck,” he said breathlessly, letting his head drop back against the couch and laughing. 

“Yeah, that.” She admired the lines of his throat, and thrilled at the way his hands still roamed her body, stroking and petting her nude flesh. She preened under his touch, before realising with mounting discomfort that she was enjoying the touch for more reasons than simple sensation, and bit the inside of her cheek in silent atonement. _Oh, I’m fucked._

She sat up gingerly, allowing him to withdraw from her. She winced as she clambered off his lap, and quickly adjusted her positioning from her original intentions - sitting her burning ass onto the cold leather couch was not a good idea. Instead, she lay down, ass up.

“Wait here. Don’t move a muscle,” he warned, planting a kiss on her head before disappearing out of a door. The room was cold and quiet.

_Don’t be so fucking stupid, Kore,_ she took the opportunity to chide herself. _Some good dick doesn’t mean he’s in love with you. Do as you’re told and fucking behave yourself - you know where he stands on feelings, and what you’re feeling is very definitely more than ‘friendly.’ Be grown up about this._

She dashed angry tears away and cast around for her clothes. She spotted her dress hanging from a lamp across the room, and laughed, a note verging on hysterical. Getting up from the couch, she padded barefoot across the opulently thick carpet and picked it up.

“I thought I told you to stay where you were,” an amused voice came floating across the room. She nigh on leapt out of her skin.

“Fuck! You scared me!” She glared at him, clutching her dress to her chest. He was still fully dressed, but wearing different clothes to their prior encounter - a dark tee and a pair of black sweatpants. It was strange to see him dressed so casually, in lieu of his usual crisply pressed white shirt and black slacks combination. _Still gorgeous, though,_ added the masochistic part of her mind.

“Footsteps don’t carry so well when the carpet’s this expensive,” he joked, clearly innocent to her internal turmoil. “Now, come here. You’re not putting your clothes back on just yet.” Her eyebrows shot up, and he laughed, clarifying. “No, I don’t mean _that_. I mean aftercare.” He waved a tube of lotion at her. “Come on, lie down.” She huffed a put-upon sigh, but trotted back to the couch and lay down. He laughed at her, tugging a lock of her hair playfully. “So petulant. I thought we’d covered this. You don’t frighten me, little flower.” He squirted something out of a tube into his hands. “This is cold,” he warned, and she hissed between her teeth as he proved himself right.

“Fuck! You could have warmed it up some first!” She glowered at him as he smoothed the gel into her flesh, but soon she felt the creases in her expression smooth out as the cool, soothing balm sank into her skin. “Aloe?” she guessed, relishing his careful touch, the mirror image to his punishing strikes from mere minutes ago.

“Correct. I have arnica cream for you to take home, as well. I’m a little fearful you may bruise,” he said contritely, placing his hand deliberately over what must have been a handprint on her upper thigh.

She shrugged. “I can wear jeans for a few days.”

Hades frowned at her. “You’ll use the cream, or I won’t spank you again.” His voice was mock stern, but the tinge of worry that crept in at the edges was as clear as day. Her poor heart. It fluttered again, hopeless, like a dying thing.

“Alright, alright, I’ll use the dumb cream.”

He smiled at this. “There’s my good girl.” They shared a conspiratorial chuckle, and he gave her behind a gentle tap with the tips of his fingers. “That should sting a little less now, am I right?”

“Yeah, it’s much better, actually.” She sat up, noting that the searing pain had dulled to simply a pleasant, throbbing reminder of their play. “So, um. Should I get my things?”

“What? No! Not a chance.” He looked genuinely taken aback. “You can’t go.”

“Um. What?” She laughed awkwardly.

He lifted a hand to scratch the back of his neck self-consciously. “Sweetness, it’s for the best if you stay a little while yet. Physical aftercare is only one of the things that I owe you. You’ll need your Dom for a little while yet.”

“Huh. Is that a real thing?” She turned the phrase over in her mind. _Your Dom._ She found she liked it.

“What, sub drop? Very real. It would be remiss of me to send you out into the world after an intense scene where I’d inflicted physical pain on you like that without looking after you.” He extended an arm for her, beckoning her in.

She laughed, derisive, but still settling in underneath his arm. “You say ‘intense’. Surely a little spanking is pretty tame, as all of this stuff goes?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Did it feel _tame_ to you?”

“Well. No,” she admitted, blushing. “But -”

“Don’t compare your experiences to others. Just because I didn’t beat you with a cat o’ nine tails and rub salt in the wounds, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t intense. Especially for your first real foray into playing with this dynamic.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Yikes. True.” Kore looked up at Hades, who had picked up the remote control and was surfing through the channels on the TV. “Is that what you’d like to do to me?”

“What? Oh.” His nose wrinkled slightly in distaste. “No. That’s a little far for my tastes. I like a little impact play, obedience, voyeurism: nothing too outrageous. That was more an example than anything.” He laughed sheepishly. “Sorry for scaring you.”

“Good,” she sighed, resting her head on his chest. “Oh - let’s watch Real Housewives of Olympus - I love those bitches!”

* * *

Kore awoke hours later, sleepily casting around at the image of domesticity around her. She and Hades were nestled under a blanket together. He slept soundly, his glasses askew on his face. He’d taken his contact lenses out at some point in the evening, after teasing encouragement from Kore - _I’ve seen you wearing them before at work, I vaguely recall a boring as hell interview where you wore them_ \- and now they pressed into the bridge of his nose, looking uncomfortable. At their feet, three dogs clustered, their restful breathing almost lulling her back into the arms of her lover and into sleep.

The TV was playing some infomercial for a set of knives which, it proclaimed almost inaudibly, would never need sharpening. Why you’d need an entire set eluded her, if that was the case. She almost gave voice to that thought, before remembering that every other being in the room slept. Before remembering that the other _god_ in the room had fulfilled his obligation to stay with her for a couple of hours, and would probably rather that she went home.

Carefully, she gathered her things, stepped into her heels at the end of the couch, and gazed longingly for a moment at the domesticity she wasn’t permitted to have, before dematerialising and coalescing in her own, dark, lonely bedroom. Casting out with her power, the lives of all of Mama’s attendants and service sang joyously back to her in their slumber, from their far flung wings of the house. Her mother was among them, up in her office. The aura of the house was one of everyday humdrum, singular in its ordinariness. They probably hadn’t even noticed she was gone.

She kicked off her shoes, sunk into her bed and screamed her pain into her pillows.


	9. Casual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again go to Fae for betaing. I love you Fae ❤️

# Chapter 9 - Casual

Hades clapped his hands together decisively. Time to stop jerking around and avoiding reading Kore's progress report. _It'll be fine. She's a sweet thing, really, she's bound to be getting on fine. This is your job, anyway - checking up on her progress is simply professional. It makes no difference that you're giddy simply thinking about her._

He rubbed his hands across his face, huffing a derisory laugh at himself. There was no denying it. He had a crush on Kore. It wasn't simply that she was beautiful - which she was - or that she was outrageously good in bed - which, fates, she most _certainly_ was. It was everything else: Her brutal honesty and her tendency to say the first thing that came to mind. Her acerbic wit and her intellect. Her good, _kind_ personality - no matter what picture she tried to paint of herself to the general public.

Oh, he had it bad, and he knew it. But, he reflected, things were _so good_ as they were. Why rush? Kore seemed content to let things be casual, so casual was how things would be.

 _The moment she suggests otherwise,_ part of him piped up unhelpfully, _you’ll scare her off. Like a child, crushing a butterfly. You’re not made to love things - just to end them._

“Fuck me, where did that come from?” He threw his glasses down onto his desk with a clatter and looked across at his wall calendar, sighing deeply. _Chemist_ was penned in for later this week in large, red letters, a code he’d begun using years ago to mean _therapist_ , and he reached over and underlined it for good measure.

 _Enough._ He opened the attachment on the email he’d been prevaricating over, placed his glasses back onto his face, and began to read through the document.

 **_INTERN PERFORMANCE LOG_ ** _  
_ **_NAME_ ** _: KORE, GODDESS OF SPRING_ _  
_ **_DEPARTMENT_ ** _: NATURAL DISASTERS_ _  
_ **_SUPERVISOR_ ** _: DRYOPE TOU AIGERIROI_ _  
_ **_COMMENTS_ ** _:_

_This week, Kore has:_

  * _Transcribed notes from scanned files effectively, using OCR software_


  * Tabulated data collated at Ioannina and used it to create graphs and charts, in preparation for Symios' monthly progress update 


  * Kore has stated that both of these jobs are ‘boring as fuck’ (true but delete this later lol)



Hades snorted. It wasn’t the first time Dryope had sent him an email without deleting something she wrote to entertain herself. They both tactically ignored it, and their professional relationship remained unaltered. He skimmed the rest of the work-specific information, pleased with the progress Kore had made over the last few weeks. She had clearly taken the office dynamic in her stride, and was proving useful on site.

The section about professionalism in the workplace was the one he was particularly interested in. Dryope’s evaluation of Kore’s interpersonal working relationships hadn’t always been glowing.

 _I don’t know what Symios did to her attitude down there, but since beginning this cycle of working a week on site and a week in the building, Kore’s attitude towards her coworkers has improved dramatically. I don’t think she’s realised that people actually like her yet - she takes any form of teasing to heart. Understandable, she’s still so young, but there are flourishing plants on almost every single desk. You can hardly move for greenery: it’s like working from a jungle. Someone brought in a Monstera Deliciosa and it is_ **_thriving_** _. The lights in here don’t even come close to mimicking natural sunlight, and the thing is still huge! Kore sings to it on her way past with people’s coffees and files. I overheard some of the naiads on the team complaining about it around the water cooler, and in the same breath, wondering what the regulations would be on installing a seagrass aquarium. She has made a fantastic addition to the team. If things continue to improve in the way they have been, I’ll be putting in a request to offer her a permanent position upon graduation._

His heart clenched in his chest. He realised how overjoyed he was to learn of her fitting in, to discover that other people found her as inherently likeable as he did. 

He was going to have to do something about this. Casual wasn’t working.

His phone pinged merrily in his pocket. How convenient.

 ** _Kore << _**Pay attention to me Im feeling bratty and bored in class ** _  
_****_Hades >>_** You’re always bratty, Princess. Luckily for you, work is slow today, and I’m a little bored, too.  
**_Kore <<_** Work is only boring cos Im not in the building being cute af 😘  
**_Hades >>_** I’m sure that’s the reason, little Goddess - nothing to do with the very real fact that running a corporation is often not very exciting.  
**_Hades >>_** Knowing my luck, I’ve just tempted fate, and my day is about to get very busy with something dreadful...  
**_Kore <<_** omg Hades  
**_Kore <<_** you just double texted me lmao  
**_Kore <<_** you’ve never double texted me before  
**_Kore <<_** next you’ll be posting about your crush on your finsta  
**_Hades >>_** What in the world is a ‘Finsta?’  
**_Kore <<_** lmao 💖  
**_Kore <<_** shut up now everyone’s looking at me weird cause I keep laughing during this dry ass lecture on volcanoes  
**_Hades >> _**That’s hardly my fault. You messaged me!  
**_Kore <<_** shut up lol 💖💖💖

Hades groaned internally, clutching the stupid phone tightly in his hands. He allowed himself to feel this, without delving deeper into it for a moment. Peering down at the screen, he realised belatedly that he was grinning like a teenager at her last message. He threw his phone down on his desk and laughed at himself. Casual.

Naturally, he had been right when he said he’d tempted fate. His PA knocked at the door, and upon entering, tottered in on perilously high heels, carrying three full binders of official looking documents.

“Hey, Boss,” she managed, after none-too-gracefully dumping the binders on his desk. “Zeus dropped these off for you.”

“My brother came all the way to the Underworld to deliver documentation?” he replied, flipping open the top folder and grimacing.

“Well, no. He sent his PA.” The nymph before him shifted uncomfortably, running a hand through her dark hair.

“And when, exactly, did these arrive, Minthe?” He glanced up at her, already beginning to feel the slow burn of irritation that often occurred when talking to his assistant about Olympus, and particularly, her friendship with a certain Nereid. “I’ll presume it was before you took your early lunch break?”

“Yeah, I was going to bring them in before I left, but you were scheduled for a conference call when I left, so I didn’t want to bother you.” She shrugged, brushing her hair back off her shoulders, attempting to draw attention to her delicate physique. The clear ploy made him feel slightly nauseated. 

He frowned, tacitly ignoring her performance. “It’s never stopped you from bothering me before.” Leaning back to his computer, he pecked at his keyboard one handed and drew up the email from Zeus that accompanied the documents. He scanned it and swore loudly. “Minthe, Zeus has asked for these Mortal scrolls to be delivered back to him, in full, by the end of the day today. I could have had an extra hour to find all of these creatures on file. I have to go to the library!” He pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled deeply.

“Well, how was I to know it was time sensitive?” she countered sharply, folding her arms across her chest in a defensive motion. She gestured with one hand. “They came with no supplementary documentation, and they’re confidential! You’ve told me I’m not allowed to look in confidential files!”

He could feel his pulse pick up in his throat. Why did he still keep this infuriating creature on the company payroll? “Did you even think to ask Thetis what they were? Zeus will have told her.”

“Yeah, I guess he probably would have told her. You know, because Zeus actually values the work his PA does for him,” Minthe scoffed, turning to leave his office.

“You're doing your job, not doing me a fucking favour, Minthe! And I don't know where you are going, since I haven’t dismissed you,” he snapped, and thunder crashed in the distance. Minthe rolled her eyes.

“This is a waste of time. I have work to be doing, and by the looks of it,” she glanced down at the daunting catalogue of souls on his desk, “so do you.”

His assistant slammed his office door so hard it shook, and he buried his head in his hands.

Fuck it. Everything else in his life felt out of control. He would quite like to be in control of at least one thing. Hades snatched his phone up from his desk.

 **_Hades >>_ ** Would you like to play tonight?

The response was instantaneous. So much for paying attention in class.

 **_Kore << _ **😳 Yes, Sir. 

He sighed. _Better._ If he could get little disobedient Kore to do as she was told, then anything else was easy. He could complete this busy work Zeus had set him - no doubt to keep Thetis out of his hair for the day, while Hera was visiting the office with the children. And he could most certainly handle direct insubordination, for what would be the last time.

He picked up the handset on the telephone on his desk and dialled the extension for HR. 

"Dorine, I need a departmental transfer done as swiftly as possible. By the end of today would be ideal. That would be for my PA - that's her. Yes, the one with all the warnings." He leaned back in his chair, held out his hand and conjured a cigar, while the woman on the other end of the phone typed and chattered. He lit it, taking a deep, grounding pull. He smiled. “Oh, nothing serious. She just needs a change of scenery.”

* * *

Kore giggled, writhing appealingly on the bed beneath him. “This is weird,” she declared, a broad smile stretching across her features. Well, the features he could see - a blindfold obscured a large portion of her face.

“Weird?” He finished fastening the last of her restraints and sat back at the foot of the bed, admiring his own handiwork.

“Yeah. Like, this could be kind of scary!” Kore wriggled her arms experimentally. The harness that pinioned her to the bed gave a satisfying little jingle. “I can’t go anywhere.”

“Remember your safe word,” he reminded her, his voice low. “I’m not intending to frighten you.”

“No, I know,” she sighed, relaxing into the pillowy mattress. “It’s kind of freeing. That’s what’s weird about it.”

He laughed, and leaned down to brush a kiss against her collarbone. She shivered, her skin immediately tautening into goosebumps as his lips grazed her skin. She _wanted him_ , and he relished that fact. He lingered for longer than he’d intended to, pulling back enough to blow gently on her exposed neck, from her throat to her shoulder. Kore wriggled underneath him. “That tickles,” she complained, bringing her shoulder up reflexively. “I didn’t realise tickling was a part of this whole dynamic.”

“Well, it can be,” he replied easily, slipping a hand between them and running a finger between her legs, capturing the silky moisture that lay within. “But I wasn’t intending on that tonight.”

“What were you intending on then, exactly?” she asked, her mock innocent tone crying out her clear knowledge of her insolence. He frowned. Pulling away from her wanting pussy, he cupped his hand around one of her breasts, heavy and full in his hand. He thumbed her nipple, which tautened into a dusty pink peak beneath his touch - and rolled it between finger and thumb. She moaned aloud, her senses clearly heightened from depriving her of her sight, and as the pressure he applied increased, her moan transformed into a squeak of pain. 

“Two issues, Princess,” he said, keeping his voice low and commanding. “First of all, who said you were entitled to know?”

“Oh,” she gasped, squirming beneath him. He released her, and she whimpered.

“Secondly, I’ve had enough of your impertinence. How do you address me, little flower?”

“Sir,” she breathed, pulling on the restraint, instinctively attempting to cradle her own injured flesh, it seemed.

“Much better. Good girl.” He put warmth into the words, knowing that she would need to hear his approval. She melted into the bed as he replaced the punishing pressure of his fingers with his mouth, making a little choked sound as he circled the delicate skin of her nipple with his tongue. His lips left her skin with a little sticky _pop_ , and he kissed his way down her body, until he knelt between her legs, his face mere inches from her pussy.

“Oh, please, Sir,” she begged, spreading her legs wider. The restraints buckled at her ankles clinked against themselves, just enough give in them to allow her to move this much, and no more.

“Please?” He kissed the inside of her thigh, delighting in the frustrated little growl she gave.

“Ugh! I really need you to, um, touch me. Please. Sir,” she forced out. He knew if she wasn’t blindfolded, he would be able to see her face screwed up in embarrassment.

“That’s good,” he coaxed, kissing her again, ghosting ever so slightly closer to her core. The muscles in her thighs tensed. “But I’m already touching you. I don’t know what you’re asking for, Princess.” Kore screamed, outraged. He laughed, then, nipping at her inner thigh. “It’s a good job I have no staff. You’re an impetuous little thing, but screaming won’t help you. You need to tell me your color.”

“Green,” she hissed out through gritted teeth. “But if you don’t fucking stick your dick or your tongue in my pussy right this fucking second, I swear to all that is good in this world, I’m going home.” 

He tutted, sitting up. “That was _awful_ begging. Brattiness gets punished, Princess. I have half a mind to get up and leave.” A lie. An empty threat.

Her mouth worked itself into a twist of discontentment. _Not an obviously empty threat, then, clearly._ She sobbed, just once. “No, no, no, please don’t leave me, I need you - yellow -” 

Hades felt his heart clenched in a vice-like grip in his chest. He surged up to meet her, kissing her fervently, “I’m here,” he promised, shocking himself with the vulnerable tone in his voice. He slipped the blindfold away from her eyes, and she gazed up at him, eyes round and desperate. Laying a gentle kiss on her temple, he gently pushed her sticky hair away from her face. She pressed herself hungrily into his touch, the corners of her eyes beading with yet unshed tears. “I’m with you. What do you need, sweetness?” 

“Please, I need you to touch me, I need to feel you inside me -” slipping two fingers between her slick folds, he praised her effusively between kisses as she writhed beneath him, desperate for any contact she could get.

They were _definitely_ going to have to talk after this, he realised. But not yet.

“Do you need to be untied, love?” he breathed, his fingers working inside her. He pressed his palm against her clit, and a stuttered moan escaped from where her face was pressed into the crook of his neck.

“No, I’m good,” she panted, canting her hips up towards his touch. “It just got a little overwhelming for a second, that’s all.”

“Let me take care of you.” He knelt between her legs, and this time, he made no attempt to tease or delay her satisfaction, lapping at the swollen, needy flesh of her clit. She cried out, rocking her hips up into his mouth, her breathing fast and shallow as her walls clenched around his fingers, the wave of her long awaited orgasm washing over her. Judging from the way her head fell back against the mattress and the long, luxurious moan she let out, the relief was palpable. Hades continued his ministrations, pumping his fingers slowly in and out of her slippery heat as the aftershocks rippled through her. “Better?” he enquired, looking up to catch her eye and grinning rakishly at her, his mouth still slick with her wetness.

“Much,” she replied, her eyes half closed.

“Good girl. Let’s see that again.” She whimpered, yet her body suggested quite the opposite, her legs almost instinctively widening to allow him better access to her core. He sank into her, his tongue delving into her sinfully hot cunt. He deftly captured her clit between two fingers and massaged it in little circles, keeping up an insistent rhythm as he listened intently to her responses. She gave a stuttering little moan as he pressed down firmly on her clit; a long, drawn out sigh when he sucked it into his mouth. The way her tight little pussy spasmed around his fingers as he crooked them up into her g-spot was a clear indicator of her pleasure. Her knees drew up and together as she edged closer to her climax, her thighs a delightful pressure on the sides of his head, pleasantly muffling the world around him to everything except the glorious, intoxicating goddess beneath him.

She came again, wetness let down from within her coating his fingers, his tongue, the _bed_. He groaned wantonly. “Beautiful,” he praised, and she giggled weakly.

“Would you like me to fuck you now, little flower?”

Kore stretched out beneath him appealingly, arching her back and fluttering her eyelashes at him. She flexed her arms and legs, taut muscles bunching beneath her sweat beaded skin. The sight of her alone was enough to make his mouth water. “Mmm... Gods, yes - please, please fuck me.”

He chuckled, reaching for a condom and rolling it down his long neglected erection. It throbbed almost painfully, a protest at having been ignored all this time. Hades knelt between Kore’s thighs and readied the tip of his cock at her slick entrance, rubbing his head between her folds. She whimpered, attempting to align herself with him, to no avail. Kore pouted at him - such a beautiful, ridiculously sweet expression - and he laughed aloud, despite himself.

She was indignant. “Are you laughing at me?”

He shook his head, leaning down to claim her pretty, pouting lips in a kiss, and sliding himself into her in a single movement. Her creased brow smoothed out in an instant, and she hummed with satisfaction, again pulling against her restraints in a futile attempt to touch him. He fucked her slowly, leisurely, enjoying the feeling of her channel clutching at him and her mock frustration at being unable to pull him closer to her. Even that frustration lay forgotten soon enough, however, as her breath hitched in the telltale way that indicated another orgasm was on the horizon for her.

“You were so good at coming on command, Princess,” he purred into the soft shell of her ear. “Do you think that you can _stop_ yourself?”

“Oh, fuck,” she moaned, screwing her features up. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Tell me when you’re close and I’ll stop.” For now, he kept up his pace, unhurried and languorous, pressing intentionally against her clit as he buried himself up to the hilt in her, again and again.

She tried to fight it. Squirming underneath him, she panted shallowly, squeezing her eyes shut and tossing her head back and forth. “Oh! Stop - I - oh!” He stilled inside her, carefully motionless - the tight grip of her pussy indicating just how close she was to coming. Kore hummed a single note, a determined, pained sound, as she fought off the very thing he knew she desired most. She opened her mouth and swore, a flurry of filth cascading from her mouth as she spat out curses to distract her from the overwhelming sensation. Slowly, she descended from the crest of her orgasm, edging her way back from the precipice.

“Good,” he praised. “Again.” And he snapped his hips up into her, harder this time, knowing that he was making it more difficult for her. She hissed between her teeth and pressed her lips together in a thin line, taking shallow breaths through her nose. She was flushed and sweaty, totally undone beneath him, and the coiling pleasure building at the pit of his stomach was beginning to become more insistent. He knew he would have to stop sooner, rather than later, as again, he felt her body building to its release.

“Stop! Stop! Fuck!” Again, he stilled, his cock throbbing as she choked out frustrated sobs, tears welling up anew in the corners of her eyes.

Hades waited for what seemed an excruciatingly long time for her to calm herself, his own orgasm persistent and demanding. 

“Again,” he panted, and she moaned pathetically. “What’s your color, Princess? We can stop if you need to,” he reminded her, thrusting into her.

“No. Green,” she almost growled the word at him. “I can do it."

She lasted all of twenty seconds before she was begging him to stop. Hades felt her spasm around him and gave her an odd look as she gave a strangled cry. “Did you just -” 

“No!” she protested hotly. “It was just a very, _very_ close call, is all.”

“Good. I want you to come for me now.” He thrilled upon giving her permission, lifting the constraints of control upon both her and himself. “Do it,” he encouraged her, as she rocked her hips against him, in tandem with his own motions. He felt the electric, bone deep pressure surge from his groin up through his body, and he fell out of sync with himself as he hovered on the very brink of climax, holding on just long enough to feel Kore's own shuddered orgasm before he reached his own, pleasure spasming through him as he came hard. 

He didn't allow himself to stay in that post-orgasmic haze for long, pulling out and disposing of the condom quickly, before getting to work on unbuckling Kore from the restraints. She pulled her arms back down to her sides with a relieved sigh, and pulled her knees up to her chest. 

"Thank you. That feels so good, you don't even know." She smiled over at him, working her shoulders in little individual circles. 

"Better than the sex?" he countered, quirking an eyebrow at her.

She laughed, rolling her eyes. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Yes, obviously. The sex was adequate. Thanks for that, too. It'll suffice."

"Naturally. I aim to fulfil only the most basic requirements of coitus." He rolled onto his side and gave her a toothy grin. 

She groaned, and slapped his arm playfully. "If you carry on calling it 'coitus', I'm never going to engage in it with you ever again." 

"Liar."

"Yep." She leaned over and kissed him soundly, before hopping off the bed and sauntering out of the room, still entirely naked. "Back in a sec, gotta pee."

Hades leapt to his feet and almost ran to the door, an unwelcome prickle of panic beginning to manifest at the back of his neck. "But you're coming back, right?" 

The tiny, unassuming goddess snorted derisively, turning to look at him over her shoulder and affixing him with a disbelieving expression. "Well, I'm not just gonna ping home in the nude." She hovered in the doorway to the bathroom, however, her expression changing from teasing to…something else he couldn't place. "I'm here, with you," she said thoughtfully, before shutting the door. 

He sat back down, settling himself in the bed. He looked down at the large wet patch, and wondered if Kore would think it strange to migrate to the master bedroom to sleep. That is, if she wasn't going to disappear in the middle of the night again. 

That had bothered him more than he thought, it seemed. 

Hades sat in the bed, grappling with this uncomfortable truth, as Kore slipped back into the bed next to him. She pulled a face, wriggling backwards out of the damp, sticky spot. "Gross _and_ cold," she declared, clambering over to rest in his lap instead. He chuckled, letting his hands fall to her thighs, tracing tiny circles on her skin. She sighed happily, lying atop his chest, resting her head on his shoulder. 

"That was pretty intense," he remarked after a time. Cupping a hand at the base of her head, he worked his fingers into her hair and began delicately combing through the tangles. She winced. "Oh - sorry." He gave her an apologetic smile. 

"You can spank me 'til I bruise and deny me orgasm after orgasm, but you leap to apologies when you accidentally pull my hair a little?" Kore laughed, affectionate and warm. His heart gave a delighted little twinge. "Actually, do you know what would be really soothing? You know, because of aftercare and stuff." Her voice was small, tentative. 

"Hmm?" He raised his head slightly. "What would you like?" 

"Would you brush my hair?" Kore met his gaze for a moment, before averting her eyes, almost shy. 

"Of course." Hades gave her a crooked smile, an attempt to look casual and accommodating, to combat the surge of affection swelling in his chest. Her eyes lit up and she jumped out of the bed, scrabbling through her handbag for a hairbrush. Finally producing it with a delighted flourish, she knelt on the floor at the foot of the bed, beckoning him closer. He sat down behind her, gathering her thick, curling tresses up in one hand. 

The room was quiet, the comfortable silence threaded through with the crackling, rasping sound of bristles carefully untangling hair. Kore sighed quietly, her eyes drifting shut as she let her head drop back. Ever so gently working his way through her hair in sections, firmly grasping snarled curls above the tangle and drawing the brush through it again and again, Hades felt lulled into a tranquil, soothed state of mind himself. The intimacy of the moment was not lost on him. 

"Stay over tonight," he found himself saying, quite by accident. "Er. If you want to."

Kore's eyes blinked open slowly, and she looked up at him, a strange expression on her face. "That's not very 'let's keep this casual,' of you, Hades."

_Now's the moment. Don't fuck it up._

"Well… What if I don't want it to be?" 

"You don't?" She frowned, confused - but hadn't moved away from his touch. His hand stilled, drawing the brush free from her hair and placing it on the bed next to him. He threaded both hands through her tresses, and she leaned her head against his knee. 

"Nope. As it turns out, I, er… I want this to be very _not_ casual."

"Oh." An awkward moment hung between them, and he sat, unable to move, to _breathe,_ even, as he waited for her response. Finally, a slow smile spread across her face. "Good."

"Good?" He repeated her tentatively, hardly daring to believe. 

"Yep." She kissed the inside of his knee, before springing to her feet and holding her hands out imperiously. He laced his fingers between hers, thrilling at the simple affection of the gesture as she tugged him to his feet. "Now, come on."

"Where are we going, sweetness?" 

Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "Your bedroom. I'm _not_ sleeping in that wet patch."

Hades laughed aloud, gathering her up in his arms and planting a kiss on her neck. "As you command, my Princess."


	10. The Lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Without Ellis, I am less than sufficient. Thank you. ♥

The week couldn’t have dragged any more slowly if it had been entirely composed of treacle. Much to her surprise, she was waiting with bated breath until her next shift in the Underworld. The idea of getting back to the site and addressing the concerns she’d raised about the islet was at the forefront of her mind all week: she’d even caught herself daydreaming about work in classes, and when she took into consideration the amount of daydreaming she was doing about her  _ personal _ life, thoughtful moments spent pondering the troubles of Ioannina only lessened the amount of time she spent focusing on her studies.

It had been surprising to her, the day she’d offered a suggestion in a meeting that others had acknowledged as worthy. When someone had called her into the lab to ask her advice on plant samples, she had hardly been able to give an answer without stammering. The respect of those around her, their trust in her as an authority in her sphere of influence, had been exciting and intimidating simultaneously. 

And yet, perversely, this burgeoning confidence in her professional life certainly wasn’t bleeding into her personal life - if anything, quite the opposite. The more she felt at home in her role as a goddess, however minor that role may be in comparison to that of her mother, the more she began to question her own behaviour. How could this competent, respectable demeanour be reconciled with the persona she’d cultivated for so long? What could her future look like?

Her present - in particular, a very intimate part of her present - was equally as confusing, but far more exciting. Whatever it meant to be in this arrangement with Hades - not quite casual sex, not quite a relationship - it was utterly foreign to her. All of her attempts to reconcile her mix of emotions were fruitless, beaten down by the sheer boundless thrill that she felt at the safeness and certainty of submission. Her trust in him, his control, his instruction, felt bizarrely comforting. But even more so, his trust in her was difficult to understand - his trust in her to communicate her needs and her desires. His unfaltering belief in her ability. Where other adults hadn’t taken her seriously in the past and viewed her as nothing but Demeter’s troublesome child, Hades respected her as a goddess in her own right and pushed her to be  _ more _ .

She had found herself texting an awful lot lately, pushing the upper limits of her phone plan. Strategic subterfuge didn’t come as naturally as she’d hoped. She’d been very cagey as to whereabouts as of late - she’d been disappearing. Fielding and deflecting questions from Eros about her extracurricular activities had almost become a full time role, and she’d discovered early in her adulthood that there was no hiding any form of relationship from the God of Love. As soon as she’d accidentally let the word ‘Dom’ slip - Eros had  _ screamed  _ and demanded more information. He’d pestered her via text for more details for days, the latest instance of which being the cacophony of buzzing that rattled her phone on the desk at that moment. She counted five, six, seven consecutive messages from her best friend.  _ That  _ invoked the ire of her Political Science professor, who directed a particularly piercing glare at her, and  _ stopped mid sentence to look at her _ . Other heads turned in the lecture theatre, and within seconds she felt the unique burning shame of perceiving herself as the object of judgement. She tossed her hair and picked her phone up from the table, a vision of nonchalance. Still they watched her, all eyes in the room facing her, waiting expectantly for the explosion they knew was to follow. She dug her fingernails into her palm, mortified.

“Kore, have you more pressing matters to attend to?” The professor raised an eyebrow, his question earning some muted guffaws among her peers.

_ Leave. Walk out, _ part of her hissed.  _ People don’t treat you like that. _

She imagined herself walking through the door, and immediately wondered what Hades would say, were she to make that choice. Probably called her an insufferable brat, lectured her on the value of education and her sheer ignorance of her privilege. 

He might also ensure that she’d struggle to sit down for a day or two without wincing, and wasn’t  _ that  _ a compelling concept?

No, she eventually decided. As enticing as the idea of Hades enforcing control may have been, she didn’t want to face up to his disappointment. She wanted to make him proud. She heard his biting chastisement in her mind -  _ do what you feel is right, Kore, not what is expected of you by others. You are capable of far more than they want you to be _ . 

She coughed, awkwardly, before offering up a quiet apology. “Sorry, Professor. I didn’t realise my cell phone wasn’t on silent. It won’t happen again.”

His eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. He paused for a moment, taken aback, before responding. “I accept your apology, Kore. Thank you. Shall we continue?” She inclined her head a fraction in apology. He smiled kindly, before barking sharply at the rest of her cohort. “Eyes this way, please, everyone - we have a paper to complete by the end of next week, don’t we?” 

She busied herself turning to a fresh page in her notebook, pen in hand. Underneath the desk, she unlocked her phone and swiped away the notifications from Eros - she’d get back to him later - striking up a different conversation, instead. She had behaved admirably instead of falling back on her usual antics, and she justified to herself that she deserved his attention. 

A simple  _ how are you _ wouldn’t suffice.

**_Kore >>_** you know you’ve placed me with the biggest bunch of jerks known to all of the realms in over natural disasters  
**_Hades <<_** I can’t believe it’s taken you this long to realise.  
**_Kore >>_** Noooooooo!!!!!!! Are you telling me you did that to me on purpose???  
**_Hades <<_** What would you say if I said I had?  
**_Kore >>_** OK I changed my mind  
**_Kore >>_** Its you  
**_Kore >>_** You’re the biggest jerk known to all of the realms. its official i hate you dont talk to me  
**_Hades <<_** You’re a liar.  
**_Hades <<_** Not only a liar, a dreadful one at that.  
**_Kore >>_** true, lol 💖  
**_Hades <<_** Look, sweetness. I’m in a meeting.  
**_Kore >>_** omg. im sorry 😬  
**_Kore >>_** i didn’t realise  
**_Hades <<_** Being King comes with one or two responsibilities, you know.  
**_Hades <<_** Besides, I know you’re in class currently. I checked your calendar.  
**_Kore >>_** lol stalker  
**_Hades <<_** You make it very easy. You’ve merged your university schedule with your work calendar.  
**_Hades <<_** And left it public. I thought you had excellent technological skills. Or does that only count when it’s a cellphone?  
**_Kore >>_** !!!!!!!!!!   
**_Kore >>_** Hey!! don’t come for me!  
**_Kore >>_** you think im annoying now - just wait til im trying  
**_Hades <<_** Princess, pay attention to your class.  
**_Kore >>_** ooh princess me daddy  
**_Hades <<_** We discussed this. You know I won’t tolerate this behavior  
**_Kore >>_** lol punish me then  
**_Hades <<_** Tempting, but no.   
**_Hades <<_** Let me tempt you, meet me for lunch? I’ll let you go on about how awful of a King I am for placing you in an interesting department full of people who like you, where you are uniquely suited to make a difference  
**_Kore >>_** what  
**_Kore >>_** they like me?  
**_Hades <<_** Meet me here at noon.  
**_Hades has sent a location_** **.** **  
****_Kore >>_** alsdkjslgf FINE

***

Kore shifted nervously on the bench outside Tower Block Three. The plaza stretched out on all sides, uncannily empty: there wasn’t even a piece of litter blowing past to keep her company. A quick bout of research informed her that these sprawling administrative blocks were largely vacant, or else occupied by young shades who largely remained in the building, still too new to their afterlives to be trusted to navigate their way around. The wind of the Underworld chilled her flesh, and she pulled her light jacket around her more closely. If she’d have known she was coming to the Underworld, she wouldn’t have dressed so sparsely.

If she’d have known she was meeting Hades, she would have dressed entirely differently, she considered darkly, plucking in displeasure at the lightweight cotton dress she wore. It was fine for college, but hardly dressing to impress. She was pretty sure there was a hole in the back somewhere, too - hardly an outfit meant to affect a King.

She reasoned that Hades had seen her naked. An unremarkable dress wouldn’t deter him.  _ But it would have been nice to impress him, _ she thought, picking at a pull in her tights.

“What are you doing?” an amused voice pulled her from her distracted fidgeting, and she looked up to meet Hades’ gaze, his eyes crinkling fondly at the corners as he smiled down at her.

“Oh! Nothing.” She leapt to her feet, cursing the flat ballerina pumps she’d chosen to wear today. Being short had never much played on her mind until she’d begun to keep company with a man two feet taller than her, who could support her entire body weight on one forearm.

Kore shivered, delighted, and internally thanked her lucky stars for the strong gust that blew between the buildings. “Are you cold?” Hades asked, frowning.

She shrugged. “Yeah, a little. I wasn’t planning on coming this way today, otherwise I would have worn something a little more suitable for the cold. But  _ someone  _ asked me out on an impromptu lunch date, and who am I to resist those charms?” She gave him her best winsome smile.

He flushed at that, opening his mouth as if to reply, then thinking better of it. Instead, he took off his suit jacket, holding it out for her to hold without so much as a word. She did so obediently, watching as he followed up by taking off his sweater. Her breath caught in her throat, eyes wide as she watched the muscles of his shoulders and arms work while pulling the garment up over his head, the tailored shirt clinging to his sculpted figure. She swallowed.  _ Behave,  _ she told herself sharply.  _ We’re in public. _ She knew intimately how important image had been for her, and how much more important it would be for a member of the royal family would be amplified tenfold.

_ Oh. _

She hadn’t considered before the blow that this... _ thing _ between them could be to Hades’ reputation. The blow that  _ she _ could be, based upon her prior behaviour.

Barley Mother -  _ her  _ mother’s - public relations team  _ loathed _ her. That much had been clear for a long time. Even as a child, she had been more of a burden to them than anything else. She had clumsily tried to do everything exactly as she was directed in her studies, in public excursions, in photoshoots, and never quite seemed to meet the expectations that were laid out for her. Even when she did manage to meet all of the requirements, tick all of the boxes, she was met with dismissiveness. There was always an expectation that she was meant to excel, being her mother’s daughter, so excelling had never felt like success. What  _ had _ felt like success, what  _ had  _ felt like excelling, was making people sit up and pay attention to her. Following every single barked instruction on a commercial set with a smile on her face garnered her no attention. Spitting in the producer’s face for yanking her into position one too many times? Now  _ that _ got Barley Mother’s attention. That felt like success.

She’d once delighted in those successes, the victory of pushing back against the restrictive pseudo-parenthood of a corporation that watched her every move had tasted so sweet. Now, as she watched the King of the Underworld - her Dominant - carefully folding his sweater and adjusting his tie, those successes soured on her tongue.

Hades held out his sweater, beckoning with a grin for his jacket. A command that again, she immediately complied with - surprising herself.  _ All of your best plans of being defiant, forceful and bratty on the promise of getting punished, cast aside when you come face to face with him. You want him to be  _ **_happy_ ** _ with you. You want him to guide you, you want to please him - to serve him, to be praised and petted by him.  _ She ignored the implications of that knowledge.  _ You can’t ignore it forever, _ a little, persistent part of her mind reminded her gleefully.

“Put this on,” he instructed. 

“Oh. Huh?” Kore looked up at him, pulled from her internal chiding.

“You’re cold. I’m accustomed to the weather here. So, as I said... put this on.” He shrugged modestly. She pulled it over her head, marvelling not only in the softness of the material, but in the scent that clung to its fibres. She pushed the sleeves up, bunching up swathes of fabric. The hem reached her knees. He chuckled at her fondly, and his voice was warm as he spoke again. “Not quite as charming as the pretty little floral dress hidden beneath it, but it should help.”

She didn’t know what to say, so settled for reaching up to hook her hand into the crook of his elbow, and squeezing his forearm. He led them away from the bench into the sparse courtyards between the towers. 

They walked, Hades leading her into the depths of his realm. She would have liked to ask him a question, to maybe see how he would respond to a little teasing, but his quiet, thoughtful demeanour brooked no interruption. Odd, really, she reflected, how comfortable that felt to her. Usually, she found herself buoyed up by the company of others, restless, almost frantic in her need to prove herself. Instead, she felt...grounded. He broke her hold on his arm, and she faltered at the loss of contact, only thrilling to have it replaced by a large hand at the small of her back, guiding her around a corner and down a smaller side street.

“Where are we going?” she asked eventually, looking around. He looked down at her impassively. She hurried to clarify: “I only ask because I haven’t explored very much of the Underworld, you know. I get off the train right outside Tower Block One and walk straight in.”

Hades raised an eyebrow. “I thought one of my claims to fame was that all of the wildest clubs were in the Underworld. Surely you and your friends have frequented my realm often enough? For ‘the ‘gram,’ as you put it?”

She groaned, pulling away from him dramatically. “Never call it  _ the ‘gram _ ever again, please. Ugh. But,” she acquiesced, her voice taking on a teasing tone, “you’re right. I’ve been to a few bars and clubs. Everywhere looks different when you’re lit, though.” Sneaking a glance up at him out of the corner of her eye, she saw him close his eyes and disapprovingly shake his head at her. His broad shoulders heaved in a deep sigh, and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. He was too easy to needle, too ready to take the bait, and it made her feel -

It made her feel something she didn’t want to examine too closely, for fear that her clumsy touch would make it wither in her hands.

He continued the conversation, seemingly naive to her chagrin. “We are going, little Goddess, to a café I like. I’ve pre-ordered us some lunch, and I was thinking that we could go and eat somewhere a little more private. Do you agree? Are you amenable to that?”

“Amenable to somewhere private with you? Absolutely. How long is your lunch break?” She purred at him, smirking. He swore, blushing so deeply that it coloured the tips of his ears. 

“Kore, behave yourself!” he hissed, his severe expression rather diminished by the hint of a smile dancing at the edges of his mouth. “Don’t misunderstand me Kore, you know that’s not what I meant !” She batted her lashes at him paired with a broad grin, and he scoffed. “I’ll remember this,” he warned, a dangerous glint in his eye.

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” she replied, cosying up to him just for the briefest of moments, before returning to her original, composed position. He turned a corner that Kore hadn’t even noticed was there, and they found themselves down a surprisingly long alleyway, crammed with trinket shops and coffee houses. “Wow,” she breathed.

Hades grinned. “I love these little places. They just spring up out of nowhere. I’m very proud of the architecture in my Kingdom, but the market streets are hidden gems built by the locals and tend to not get a lot of attention in Olympus media.”

“Why is that? This is so cool!” Kore broke away from him and pressed her face against the paned windows of a jewellery store. “Look at those earrings!”

“The mainstream media doesn’t like to portray the Underworld as somewhere fun to be, honestly. And besides, I get the impression that the shopkeepers don’t want a bunch of tourists from Olympus coming down to get ‘authentic backstreet Underworld vibes’ selfies in front of their stores, and leave without buying anything. You know what that crowd can be like.”

She pulled a face. “Oh, I see. When you’re right, you’re right.”

“Come on, in here.” Hades ducked low in through a doorway, so as to not hit his head on the lintel. The sign in the window said  _ Café _ and nothing else, and as she scurried in after guiltily taking a quick picture, she caught the end of a jovial greeting between the shop owner and his king. Hades was still shaking his hand warmly, and they laughed together over some exchange she had missed. She smiled by way of greeting, and Hades beckoned her over. “Kytos, this is the beautiful Kore, Goddess of Spring and my -” he faltered, looking to her for assistance. She eyed him dubiously, wondering exactly  _ what  _ he would describe her as, to this being she’d never met. They hadn’t exactly had that conversation. “My companion for lunch today,” he finished, lamely.

Kytos clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “Your Majesty, you are unkind!” He gave Hades a meaningful look. “You visit my café alone for centuries, and ‘ _ companion’ _ is how you describe the first lady you bring through my door?” He tutted again, reaching across the counter to take Kore’s hand. He shook it firmly, enthusiastically. “Miss Kore. It is an honour.”

She checked herself and stopped short of slipping into her usual starlet role, glancing up at Hades for confirmation. He smiled encouragingly. “It’s nice to meet you too, Kytos.” She gave him a nodding smile, and he beamed in return.

“Here is your lunch, Miss Kore -” he handed her a little paper bag and drink, “- and your Majesty - your usual. Now, while it is always a pleasure to see my favourite customer, shoo. I won’t take up another moment of your time together. Enjoy your lunch! Goodbye!” He scurried out from behind the counter and smoothly ushered them out of the store, shutting the door with a definite click behind them.

Kore gaped at Hades. “Okay, what in the three realms was that?”

He laughed, scratching the back of his neck, awkwardly juggling his own sandwich bag and drink in one hand. “If I’m judging correctly, that was his seal of approval.”

“What, shaking my hand and kicking us out into the street?” She frowned, tilting her head to one side. “Enlighten me.”

“To be, um. Alone together,” he clarified awkwardly.

“Oh,” she said.  _ Nicely put, Kore, _ she thought.

“Anyway,” he interjected into the silence, ever so slightly too loud, “Let’s go somewhere to eat. Why don’t you show me how your transference skill development is coming along?”

“I can go all kinds of places now!” She smiled broadly, jumping on the opportunity to show off the improvements she’d made since that fateful night. “Better to learn late than never, right?”

“Absolutely,” he agreed amiably, “so take me somewhere.”

“Oh, shit! I can do that?” Kore stared at him, mouth open. “You really think so?”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out, Princess.” He gave her a crooked smile, and extended his hand, palm up. “Come on.” She placed her hand in his and closed her eyes.  _ Come on. You can do this. Don’t freak out. It’s just a level of transference that most minor gods can’t do, that’s all. _ They stood quietly. He spoke again, his voice carefully measured. “Everything alright, Kore?” 

She took another breath.  _ He’s laughing at you. The bastard. _

“Yeah, yeah,” she replied airily, still with her eyes closed. “Just…thinking of a place.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sort of getting in my own head about it, too, but that’s whatever,” she admitted.

“Kore, I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think you could do it - now stop prevaricating and do it.” He squeezed her hand reassuringly, his firm, certain tone declaring his faith in her abilities, and that feeling she was avoiding clutched frantically at her heart.

“Okay, okay. Alright.” She closed her eyes and visualised green grass, she took a deep breath in and imagined the delicate fragrances of daisies and wild thyme. Focusing - the sharp, lemony taste of sorrell, the feel of lamb’s-ear under bare feet, and readied herself to go, easing herself away from the physical, holding his hand tight -  _ pop. _

She opened her eyes, blinking in the glare of the sun. Hades chuckled from beside her, and she let out a celebratory whoop, before casting around frantically for somewhere in the meadow to place her lunch. She steadied her little insulated coffee cup against a tuft of grass and threw herself up into Hades’ arms. He laughed again, cradling her close, attempting in vain to avoid spilling his own drink. “I did it!” she effused, breathless and delighted.

“Congratulations. You did,” he agreed, “but would you mind if I put my own lunch down? I don’t think that my BLT will benefit from being drenched in coffee.”

“Oh - oops.” She giggled, and he placed her gently on her feet. She sank to the ground, kicking her shoes off and wriggling her stockinged feet happily into the grass underfoot. The sunlight was warm and she tilted her head towards it, drinking in its rays. She shirked Hades’ sweater and her own thin jacket, revelling in the sunlit warmth on her skin. He sat down next to her, with significantly less grace than her own descent. She smirked.

“Quiet, you. It’s much further down for me than it is for you,” he said defensively. Her smile only widened, and he rolled his eyes at her, opening his own carry out bag and inspecting the sandwich. Satisfied that coffee dregs hadn’t in fact ruined his lunch, he dug in, gesturing for her to do the same.

She opened the bag and peered inside. “What is it?”

He finished chewing and swallowed before responding. “Houmous and vegetables on whole grain.”

She looked at him. He shifted under her gaze almost imperceptibly, suddenly uncomfortable. When she finally spoke, her voice trembled strangely. “You remembered I’m a vegetarian.”

“Oh! Yes, I did.” He sighed, a note of relief almost creeping into his voice for a moment. “I pride myself in catching the small details.”

“That was really kind of you.” The emotion she stalwartly refused to name batted frantically at her chest, like butterflies in a jar, begging to be freed. “Thank you.”

He shrugged nonchalantly, the epitome of ease, a blush spreading across his cheeks, the twin of her own, she was sure. “It was nothing.”

“Umm. I’m gonna ask you something now, and you’re gonna laugh at me. But...Do you mind if I take a picture for my social media?” He looked up at her - mouth full, startled - and she laughed merrily. “I mean a photo of my lunch! I don’t think ‘caught with mouth full of bacon and lettuce’ is your best angle, your Majesty.”

He laughed through his nose, nodding. She whipped out her phone and snapped a couple of photos, selecting her favourite for her Nymphstagram feed. “Do you think Kytos would like it if I tagged his business?”

Hades raised an eyebrow. “May I ask why?”

“Well, it was the beginning of lunchtime and it was pretty quiet in his cafe. If I tag the location, it’ll be a pretty big boost to his profile. People like to eat where I eat. They trust my recommendations, cause I’m a real person. It’s an authenticity thing - the advertising market in Olympus is really tapping into it these days.”

He looked impressed. “I hadn’t considered that.”

She gave him a smug smile. “I contain multitudes, Hades.”

“That you do, little Goddess,” he admitted, and she wriggled happily before biting into her sandwich. “However, I would hold off on that for now. Remember what I said earlier - the denizens of the Underworld don’t always look too kindly on Olympian tourists.”

“Oh. That’s a fair point. I’d forgotten about that.”

He shrugged. “I may be speaking out of turn. I’m not in the business of making decisions for other beings that aren’t dead. Ask him yourself next time we’re there. The worst he can do is turn down your offer.”

“But won’t I look like an idiot if he says no?” The thought of being seen as foolish, of offering unwanted assistance, mortified her. “Worse, what if he thinks I’m being patronising? Like,  _ oh, you must need help from some know-nothing kid. _ ” She looked down at her sandwich, wishing she had never suggested it.

He frowned as he took a long pull from his coffee before speaking. “I don’t think anyone who meets you truly sees you as a ‘know-nothing kid,’ as you so artfully put it. Your actions define you. Offer it as a potential boost to business, since you enjoyed his food, see what happens. He may be delighted with the prospect, he may decline.” He paused for a moment, before shooting her a piercing look. “The real shame would be refusing to ask because you’re scared that someone might say no to you, Kore.”

She contemplated that quietly. They ate for a while in silence, quiet birdsong and trees rustling their accompaniment.

“So,” she said, glancing over at him. “You said that people at work like me. Where did you get that crazy idea?”

“None of my ideas are crazy ” he declared triumphantly, dusting crumbs from his lap. “I know. Dryope wrote it in her report.”

“She  _ what? _ She hates me! She was mad at me a couple weeks ago because I texted her to tell her I was late because of fetching the coffee order  _ she’d _ put in!”

“You managed to get the office full of big, leafy plants, without making it look like your idea. Conveniently, your supervisor is a tree nymph, who just so happens to love big, leafy plants.”

She looked up at him from under her lashes, her plot rumbled. She wondered if she could hide behind what was left of her sandwich. “I didn’t think anyone would notice.”

“I don’t think anyone else has, Sweetness.” He grinned at her, and she had the good grace to be embarrassed. “I thought it was quite clever, honestly.”

“Not like I’m kissing ass, then?” She paused, and made a face. “Or underhanded and conniving?”

“Nope. Enterprising and shrewd, I’d say.”

She leaned against his shoulder, chewing the last bite. “You’re biased.”

“Perhaps,” he replied, his voice gentle. He snaked an arm around her, and she crept closer, resting a hand on his chest. It was only natural in that moment that their lips would meet, and they kissed sweetly, innocently, just for a moment. As they parted, Hades raised a hand to cup her jaw, thumb stroking over the soft skin of her cheek. He gazed at her wonderingly.

Kore tittered, pressing her face into his hand. She took his hand in both of her own, placing a kiss in the centre of his palm.

“Kore, sweetness, I -” pausing, he groaned in frustration, as his phone rang at precisely the wrong time. “I’m so sorry, darling, I have to take this.”

“Oh, what the fuck?” She rolled her eyes and pushed away from him, lying back on the grass in disbelief.  _ What is my life? _ she thought, covering her face with her hands.  _ Am I the butt of a huge cosmic joke, here? _

“Yes? - Yes, an inopportune moment, that moment being I’m on my lunch break and I explicitly asked not to - well, how many? Surely, Thanatos can deal - I see. - Yes. Alright, I’m on my way.”

He hung up and dropped his phone back into his pocket, muttering darkly under his breath. Lying down next to her in the grass, he laced his fingers between her own, silently seeking her attention. She pouted, knowing how immature she would seem and cursing herself for it. He crept in closer, and she rolled over, facing away from him.

“Now, Kore, this won’t do,” Hades declared, wrapping both arms around her waist and rolling underneath her, so that she lay in an undignified sprawl across his lap, looking up into the sky. Kore squawked in outrage, squirming to be freed, held so close that she could feel his laugh resonating in his chest. He leaned in to plaster her with kisses and she wriggled defiantly, protesting and flailing indignantly in his embrace.

“Fine!” she relented, laughing, and he released his hold just enough for her to turn over. “Fine. You win.” She kissed him again, luxuriating in his touch as one his hands dropped to her waist and the other rested at the base of her head, nestled into her hair.

“I’m sorry,” he finally murmured, pressing his forehead to hers. “I really do have to go. Some days I’m spinning my wheels doing nothing but paperwork, and other days they can’t manage for an hour without me, it seems.”

“I understand. I’m sorry for being -”

He cut her off as he kissed her forehead. “You do have to understand, but you don’t have to like it, sweetness. I most certainly don’t.” His phone buzzed again and he glowered up at her. “I’ll see you soon.” He sat up, leaving her knelt on the floor as he got to his feet, brushing leaves and petals off his jacket. He winked at her, and dissipated into nothingness.

“But I -” she said, quietly, to the empty air, before scoffing at herself and closing her eyes. She disappeared, leaving only a flurry of petals to indicate she had ever been there.

The photographer carefully unscrewed his zoom lens and placed it back into its compartment in his case, before beginning the long walk back to the train station. Bird watching, it seemed, was turning out to be a highly lucrative hobby.


	11. The Brunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My thanks go to Ellis for her insight. <3

The golden afternoon glow suffused the terrace with a beautiful, warm light, and Hera leaned back in her chair, drinking it in. It was this light, she knew, that was most flattering to her own golden skin, and she revelled in every moment of it, as her companion rolled her eyes and took a sip from her glass.

“Hera, you  _ are  _ very beautiful, dear, but you’re a dreadful show off.” Demeter smiled thinly, in a poor attempt to mitigate her insult with a kindly expression.

“Why, thank you, darling.” Hera took a lengthy pull from her cigarette, generous enough to let the ignominy of the comment slide, for now. She was singing inside, glorious in her own victory - a victory, that as of yet, her companion was evidently unaware of. This was the purpose of their meeting this afternoon - not that Demeter knew it.

“It’s a shame that Hestia couldn’t attend,” Demeter eventually said, looking out across the gardens. “You know, this is likely to be the last of our get-togethers I’ll be able to make time for, at least for a little while. I’m usually not too busy with my duties in the mortal realm around this time, but my calendar is about to get much more insistent.”

“No, I don’t suppose there’s much to do for a Goddess of Harvest in the middle of their winter,” she agreed.

“True. My role is mostly a supervisory one at this time of year. I simply watch and ensure they don’t starve.”

“Well, what happens if they do?” Hera shot her a look, the sudden empathy from her austere friend taking her by surprise.

Demeter laughed gaily. “It’s all useful knowledge. If they die, it simply tells me they didn’t store enough for the winter. I reflect and advise for the coming year.”

“Ah. I see.” An uncomfortable silence hung thickly in the air. Not empathy after all, then - not even close.  _ Perhaps coming back to Olympus when Kore was a child was an error,  _ Hera reflected.  _ Not for her, but for you. _ “It’s Spring there soon, isn’t it?” She gave Demeter a bright smile, hoping this would lead to a more pleasant avenue of conversation, rather than the tallying of mortal deaths as if they were simply pieces of data to be understood.

Demeter sighed. “Ah, yes. Spring.” She gave a disapproving frown; waved a hand dismissively. “Honestly, these days, having Kore do it seems like more hassle than simply doing it myself. You know how she is lately - you spoke to her yourself not so long ago, I believe. Her assistants in the house were abuzz with the information. She threw quite the temper tantrum when she came home, it seems.”

“Is that so?” Hera quirked an eyebrow.  _ And yet, you didn’t talk to her about it. _

“Hmm. But, delegation is important, as everyone has been telling me for the last century, so… Kore, the Goddess of Spring.” Demeter raised her glass, as if to toast her daughter. “Frankly, she requires  _ constant  _ supervision. I really am beginning to feel as if doing the job myself and simply putting her name to it would be better for everyone involved.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, affecting the expression of a long-suffering mother. 

Hera frowned. “She did this for me, you know.” She gestured around the palace gardens, wild, unrestrained, beautiful.

“Oh?” Demeter took stock in their surroundings, her eyes wide and wondering. “Did you give her a floor plan? A list of the plants you wanted, or at least colours, one can presume?”

Hera smiled thinly. “Darling, I told her I was sick to death of looking at the gardens that were here already and to change them. The words I used were ‘artistic vision,’ I believed.”

It was Demeter’s turn to frown. “I would have thought you would call upon Antheia for something like garden landscaping.”

“Well, I asked Kore to give it a go, the day that we discussed the party and her internship. And she did a fantastic job. You don’t give her enough credit for her capability, Demeter. You never have.” Hera sipped from her highball glass and met Demeter’s glare with a level gaze.

“I don’t think it’s up to you to tell me how I ought to raise my daughter, Hera, considering the circumstances.” Her tone was curt, the attempt at camaraderie dropped. This was how it had been for millenia - perhaps how it would always be. Hera would reach out, they would begin to bond, and the moment Demeter noticed the slightest hint of criticism, she would shut down.

“You’re right, of course,” she acknowledged, “but you’ll forgive the liberty, since I don’t feel as if you  _ are _ raising her as of late.” Demeter scowled, her free hand coming up to brush strands of hair back into her intricate braid. She opened her mouth to reply, and sensing her chance, Hera pressed the issue. “Were you even aware of her disappearance from the Panathenaea a couple of months ago?”

“I was furious with her, as you well know!” Demeter began to look flushed, and a rare hunted look crept into her expression.

“As you should have been. She behaved with little regard for consequences, as is her wont.” Hera inspected her fingernails.

“She was at  _ your _ party. The responsibility for whatever happened that night falls squarely in your lap.” Demeter sat upright, folding her hands in her lap, her body language closed off. “She’s a child - impulsive, reckless. This was exactly the reason I delayed her debut into Olympian society - she wasn’t ready this time, and she most certainly wouldn’t have been ready in time for the Panathenea  _ before  _ that.” 

“There’s only so much I can do as hostess to two hundred guests, I’m afraid. Kore, a young adult of twenty two, is to blame for her  _ own _ conduct. A Goddess’ first Panathenaea is supposed to be a sophisticated occasion, that most manage without much fuss.  _ Your  _ daughter, however, got entirely too drunk and absconded from the party, from under the watchful eyes of my attendants, without telling any of her friends where she had gone, and obtained passage in her host’s car back to your house at around ten the next morning, it seems.” Hera kept her tone blithe, calm. Internally, she delighted in the memory of flicking through the photos: that very distinctive car, with those very distinctive Underworld plates.

She frowned, realisation dawning. “Those are awfully specific details, your Majesty.”

Hera continued as if she hadn’t been interrupted. “Thank goodness I got to the paparazzo who spotted her getting out of the car  _ before  _ he scuttled back to his magazine with photographs. Things have been blessedly quiet on the press front for her lately, thank the fates, and it seemed like this sort of scandal would break her.”

Demeter gaped at her. “You saw who she was with? You know where she was?”

“No,” she lied. “I didn’t recognise the car in the pictures, and they’ve all been erased. Funny, the mountains you can move when you threaten to remove someone’s tongue.” 

“Well.” Demeter pursed her lips primly. “I suppose I should thank you for that. You’ve saved me a world of trouble. My staff loathe the conversations with the tabloids.”

“Indeed - those negotiations are never pleasant.” Hera remembered with glee the brandishing of a blade, the hissing of a threat:  _ if your paper stops this union before it has started, you will never work another day in this realm or any other. _

_ She’s not ready to hear the truth - but it would be wrong to withhold it. _ Hera recalled the vision she had seen earlier in the week. So certain - so real. She had resolved to bring it up at lunch - the image of Kore as chthonic Queen - in the hopes that the longer Demeter had to wrestle with the information, the more chance there was of her accepting their union.

She shook herself from her moment of contemplation. “But to return to the point: it was entirely appropriate for you to be angry with her shocking behaviour - so what did you do about it?”

“I had more pressing concerns,” she replied coolly. “The quarterly reports for Barley Mother were coming in, and there were some issues with staffing.”

It was Hera’s turn to gape at her companion. “You had  _ more pressing concerns _ ? Demeter!”

“Careful, now, Hera,” Demeter warned, a defiant tone creeping into her voice. “I am only tolerating this - this -  _ interrogation  _ \- out of respect for our long friendship. Don’t mistake me for one of your adoring subjects.”

She was right - Hera would have to tread carefully here. She reached out to grasp the hands of the goddess in front of her. “You’re right. But Demeter - she’s your  _ daughter. _ She’s the most pressing concern you should have. She loves you, she needs you - and darling, you left it to  _ me  _ to punish her instead. And I know how much you hate to delegate.” Hera risked a smile.

Pulling her hands free, Demeter sighed, a sharp exhale of dismissiveness. She pushed back from the table and walked to the edge of the terrace, reaching out to touch a frond of trailing ivy. It curled around her fingertip.

“She loves you, that much is clear. But she’s crying out for guidance. She has been since she was fifteen years old.”

“Kore has issues with authority - she has ever since being uprooted from the Mortal Realm. I give her guidance in the ways that she needs. I held her back from her debut until I felt she was ready. Limiting her choices works.”

Hera bit down on her initial response.  _ And how well did her debut go?  _ She pressed her palm to her forehead, measuring her words carefully before responding. “Darling - forgive me. Kore doesn’t have issues with authority, she has issues with restrictions that she doesn’t understand. Limiting the choices of  _ children _ works, and while Kore will always be your child, she’s not the little girl on the side of the cereal box anymore.”

“I will  _ not  _ turn her out into the world without any rules or regulations, and I find it insulting that you suggest otherwise, Hera. The girl is simply not mature enough to make her own decisions, and she proved that with her disappearance from your party.” Demeter’s words were icy, biting. They rang aloud, echoing back off the marble walls of the terrace.

Hera’s words, in contrast, were quiet. “And if that is true - if she really can’t make any of her decisions for herself - who bears the responsibility for that?”

She saw her moment and grasped it with both hands. “I had Kore’s behaviour well in hand before we returned to Olympus.  _ Under duress _ , might I add.”

Hera sighed, pressing a hand to her head. “We’ve been over this. I don’t understand why we always come back to it. I never intended it to be a command, but Zeus-”

Just then, a small, worried face appeared at the door. “Mommy?” She chewed nervously on her bottom lip, cheeks tracked with tears.

“Hebe? What’s wrong?” She shot Demeter an apologetic look and held her arms open. Some things take priority. Hebe hurried across the marble flagstones and seated herself in her mother’s lap, clinging to her with sticky hands. Smoothing a hand over flyaway golden hairs, she pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I can only help if I know what’s bothering you, my little one.” Sniffling, she started to speak indistinctly, face pressed into the fabric of Hera’s dress. She chuckled fondly, and coaxed Hebe’s little chin up with two gentle fingers. “And I can only help if I can  _ hear _ what’s bothering you. Will you start again for me?”

“I was doing my math homework in the kitchen, and it was really hard, because there’s so many problems, and I was gonna take a break, ‘cause that’s what you told me to do when I’m mad with stuff, right?” Little imploring eyes looked up at her, and pride surged through her veins.

She squeezed Hebe comfortingly. “Right. You’re a good girl for taking a break, I’m proud of you.” Hebe gave her a watery smile. “And then what?”

“Well, I wanted some juice, so I got it out of the fridge, but when I went to pour it in the glass, I slipped. And my worksheet got wet and now I can’t finish it. And Eris was there and she laughed at me and she called me dumb.” Her voice got smaller as her story neared its completion, voice thick with shame and regret.

“I see.” Hera schooled her expression into one of careful concern. “And Eris appeared just in time to see you spill the juice - am I right?”

Hebe frowned. “Yeah - I was on my own while I was doing my homework…” Her little mind worked on this problem, before the solution presented itself and her little face creased up into a scowl. She gasped, outraged. “Mommy! Eris made me spill the juice! That’s not  _ fair! _ ”

“Maybe, I don’t know, sweetheart. I wasn’t there,” she soothed, quick to temper the ire of her youngest. “I’ll talk to her. But first, Hebe, can you answer some questions for me?” Hera smiled encouragingly, and she nodded. “Okay. First, is it dumb to take a break from something you’re finding frustrating?”

“No,” she admitted.

“Is it dumb to make a mistake?” Hera raised her eyebrows at her daughter, who huffed and wriggled in her lap. “Come on, now.”

“No, I guess not,” she reluctantly responded. “My teacher says mistakes are for learning from.”

“Exactly right! So, even if you did spill some juice, are  _ you _ dumb?”

“No,” she finally concluded.

“So, let’s work through the problems. One, we’ve decided you’re not dumb. Two, I’ll talk to Eris. Three, I’ll call your teacher about getting a replacement for your homework.” Hebe huffed dramatically, and Hera stifled a smirk. “So that only leaves one problem. And it’s the biggest problem.”

Round, worried eyes stared up at her. “What?”

Hera leaned in and whispered into the tiny golden shell of her daughter’s ear, unable to keep the teasing tone out of her voice. “There’s still juice all over my countertop, isn’t there?”

Hebe giggled guiltily. “Yeah.”

She gasped, pressing a hand to her chest in mock alarm. “Well, that won’t do! Do you know where the paper towels are?” Hebe nodded enthusiastically, hopping down from Hera’s lap. “Good girl.”

“I’m gonna go throw my homework in the trash, too, it’s all sticky and gross,” she declared triumphantly, and scuttled off to do just that.

“Good! I love you,” she called to the rapidly retreating figure. She heard a hurriedly shouted response and beamed.

Demeter turned to face Hera, having witnessed the entire exchange, ivy wilting in her white-knuckled grasp. A complicated mixture of expressions - jealousy, anger, contempt - passed over her face, before settling on despair. She released the vine, and it recoiled from her. Sinking into a nearby chaise-longue, she put a hand to her mouth, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Hera approached gingerly, sitting at the opposite end of the bench. She passed Demeter her drink and she accepted it gratefully, taking a long draw from the glass.

Hera drank, too, before posing her next question. “Who were we, when we were Kore’s age, old friend?”

Demeter closed her eyes, shaking her head. Her acerbic tone returned, albeit slightly faltering. “You know full well that things are different now. We did all of those awful things because someone had to.” She took Hera’s hand in her own, clutching it tightly. “We became what we are so our children would never have to.”

“You’re right. I think of those days, and I think of my Hebe…” Hera shuddered. “Even Ares!” She laughed wryly. “Even my eldest child, the God of War himself - I would do  _ anything _ if it meant he will never see a world like the one that raised us. We all want to shield our children from the awful things that happen across the realms. But we  _ cannot  _ protect our children at the expense of their adulthood.” She squeezed Demeter’s hand and smiled at her. 

Demeter finally exhaled, leaning her head against the plush upholstery of the chaise. “You know I love the girl.”

“Of course,” she soothed. “It’s plain to see. She loves  _ you. _ Your relationship might be complicated, but it’s far from unsalvageable. She’s a nuisance and she has quite the mouth, but she’s a good girl at heart. She has this way of winning over everyone who spends any length of time with her.”

Demeter smiled fondly. “She has always been very charming,” she agreed.

“And that was  _ you, _ ” Hera encouraged. “It was  _ your _ guidance that shaped her when she was young. She’s still that person. I hear fantastic reports from her internship,” Hera continued _. _ “I have an excellent source in the building.”

She groaned. “Don’t remind me that you set her up in that awful place.”

“Demeter, she’s  _ excelling. _ I hear that they’re considering her for a permanent position once she finishes her studies.” Hera paused, allowing for the dismissive scoff she  _ knew _ that would elicit, and continued. “Yes, I  _ know _ that she likely wouldn’t take a position at Underworld Corp., but the very fact that they want her is testament to her capabilities.”

“She’ll work for me.” Demeter folded her arms, her whole attitude closed to questioning. “That path has already been laid out for her. But, at least she seems to be behaving herself there. It would be an indignity to have to send my PR team to consult with  _ him. _ ”

Hera bit her lip.  _ Carefully, now. _ “They get on well, you know.”

Demeter looked up sharply. “They’ve met? My Kore and  _ that man _ ?”

“Hey - he’s my brother-in-law, remember? I would appreciate it if you didn’t talk about him like he’s a monster. He sacrificed a lot for us - for all of us.” She kept her tone light. No need to make unnecessary waves now, of all moments.

“Yes, well. I don’t have to like him.”

A pause.

“Then you’re not going to like this.” Hera took a deep, steadying breath. “I get a very strong feeling from them.”

Demeter furrowed her brow. “A strong feeling? What do you mean?” 

Hera waited while Demeter grappled with the fact.

“You don’t mean -”

“I do, darling. I’m rarely wrong when I get this strong of a positive feeling about a pairing. They’re an excellent match.” Hera looked sidelong at Demeter, judging her expression guardedly. That would do - there was no need to describe the vision she’d seen.

Her response came, after a long, drawn out silence. “No.”

“I know it’s not what you had in mind for her-” she began, before Demeter cut her off.

“Does the Queen command it?” Her tone was icy, accusatory.

“What? No, of course not! I would never make Kore -”

“Then my answer is no.” Her response was firmer, more decisive now. “I forbid it.” She stood up, brushing herself off, as if to cast off the truth of Hera’s words. “She’s  _ my  _ child, and I simply won’t permit it.”

Hera rose, knocking over her own glass in her alarm. The glass smashed on the marble. “Demeter, can you really have learned so little from everything I’ve said to you today?”

“Oh, no. I’ve learned a great deal,” she responded curtly. “I was foolishly under the impression that you wished to advise me, while you were conspiring with  _ him _ to take my daughter from me all along.”

“That’s not how it is at all!” she protested, following Demeter like a servant through her  _ own  _ palace as she headed for the door. “I can’t believe you could think so little of me, after all these years!”

But Demeter had already stopped listening, her previous anger chilled into steely determination. Her prior rage, hurt, vulnerability, all dissipated into nothingness. A statuesque, emotionless figure turned to face her, and the voice that spoke was the voice the general public heard at press conferences and in interviews. “I apologise, Hera. Our meeting must be cut short. I have duties that call upon me in the Mortal Realm that simply cannot wait.”

“Demeter, as your Queen, I command you to stop and listen to me,” Hera demanded, her words echoing in the expanse of the foyer. She stopped only long enough to turn on her heel and cast a long, level look at Hera.

“There has been enough talking this afternoon, your Majesty. Pressing matters call to me. I must take my leave.” She bowed formally, and closed the door behind her.


	12. Consideration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been like six weeks! I'm thankful for your patience.

“One of these days, you’re going to have to tell us who you’re ditching us for,” Poseidon complained haughtily, rising from the table to embrace Hades and clap him soundly on the shoulder - half brotherly love, half admonishment. He felt a pang of guilt: he hadn’t intended for after work drinks with his brother and his sister-in-law to be so brief, and he was right. It wasn’t the first time in recent weeks he’d passed up on time with the couple. However, he  _ did _ have prior arrangements.

“I wouldn’t call it ditching,” he said from within his brother’s embrace, cringing internally. Poseidon was big on physical affection. “I just have to get back to work.”

Amphitrite gave him a knowing look over Poseidon’s shoulder. “And you’ve been furtively checking your cellphone all evening for text messages from  _ work, _ I suppose?” She stood, placing a cool little hand on his forearm placatorily. “Everyone has been there.” She shot a wry glance at her husband. “It’s easy to get all swept away by a new relationship. Just...don’t forget to make time for us.” She squeezed his arm. “Your family wants to spend time with you too.”

“And your family wants  _ details _ ,” Poseidon stressed, looking hurt. “We’re brothers. We share everything.”

“We share rather too much already, in my opinion,” he grumbled, stepping back. He checked his watch.

Poseidon waved airily. “You’re just saying that because Zeus brags.”

He caught Amphitrite’s eye. They frowned at one another.  _ Bragging  _ was certainly one word for it, but Hades would qualify it as  _ humiliating his wife and making himself sound like a cretin. _ He knew from previous meetings, quiet conversations held in the corners of parties and snatched whispers in hallways, that Poseidon’s wife felt the same.

“My love, we’re keeping him.” She laced her fingers through Poseidon’s and smiled up at him. Her expression of adoration was mirrored in his brother’s eyes and this time, the pang he felt was one of envy. He shook their hands and turned on his heel, heading towards his car. He caught Poseidon’s whispered grumbling and chose to ignore it, rolling his eyes. He knew what Poseidon’s complaints were; they were always the same: shaking hands is too formal, too distant for family _. _ What Poseidon failed to understand, every time, was that it doesn’t do to be too friendly in front of others. He has a reputation to uphold.

Driving home, Hades permitted himself some quiet enjoyment from the car he had selected from his garage to drive to work today. The Lamborghini Centenario roared to life under his touch: a beast not truly designed for city traffic and most at home howling along the sweeping lines of a track, shredding asphalt beneath its tyres. That didn’t mean, however, that he couldn’t enjoy opening up the throttle and listening to the engine note soar as it raced from a standstill to sixty in less than three seconds. The roads towards his home were far too crowded to really gun the engine, so he satisfied himself with that, and instead, as he drove, contemplated who he was driving home to meet.

There was no doubt he felt more than sexual attraction towards her - that had been clear from the very earliest days of their involvement, and it was something he’d been taken aback by. Not only was it practically unheard of for him to acknowledge genuine romantic feelings (something his therapist questioned him about regularly), but as a match, they were so...ill suited, on the surface. She was young, wilful, irresponsible, and if he was honest, utterly spoilt. The girl had never been told she wasn’t permitted to have anything.

Except there was  _ one _ thing, wasn’t there? The thing that she was most desirous of, she wasn’t allowed to have: agency. Control over her own life. The things that Kore had told Hades about her upbringing in their conversations had only cemented his opinion that Demeter had not entirely done her daughter justice. Of course, she had been furnished with every material possession she could ever wish for, given access to the best education that money could buy - but somehow, despite her nurturing, loving relationship with her own mother, Demeter had fallen short on providing that same nurturing love to Kore.

_ “I don’t do all this Goddess stuff well on my own, and everyone knows it,” _ Kore had said, in a tiny voice one night.  _ “Even I know I don’t. It’s complicated. Like, when someone catches me off guard or makes me angry, I feel - I don’t know - like I’ve failed. But kind of conflicted, too, because... just because someone is saying something I don’t like or criticising me, that doesn’t mean I've actually done anything wrong.” _ She’d laughed at herself disparagingly, and he’d stayed quiet, tracing tiny circles on the bare skin of her back. _ “So then I’m sort of like… well, I might as well say something to actually ruffle some feathers if they already think I’m a bitch, if you know what I mean?” _

He had understood the compulsion to maintain a reputation very well. The title of King of the Underworld had come at a heavy cost when it came to the way people saw him. He knew he cultivated a cold, unapproachable persona. His life's work was the judgement of souls - that entailed cultivating a certain level of distance, encouraging a certain level of respect. He had enjoyed building that reputation: as the centuries passed, even those who knew him from the start had, without knowing precisely when it had happened, forgotten to look at him with pity. But part of that, he reflected, was also dealing with the consequences of living up to their expectations - something Kore had rarely needed to do. He was well aware that people feared him, and prepared to accept that in exchange for the respect it garnered. He had accepted the consequences in instances when he had pressed too hard, pushed that fear too far, and he had learned from it. Kore, however, had never had to do so: Demeter's PR team had seen to that, time and time again. Was she protecting her daughter or sheltering her from everything in the world? 

_ “It’s like my mom thinks I’ll never be a fully fledged goddess in my own right and able to do stuff for myself,” _ she’d sighed, rolling onto her back.  _ “I graduate this year. What then? I get to be caged into whatever tiny role she’s made for me somewhere in her corporation, based on what she thought I could do when I was twelve? Great.” _

He’d considered offering her a job on the spot, before realising that would simply be more of the same: substituting one cage for another. She wanted agency, self actualisation, but everyone in her life seemed to be standing in her way. Even her own actions, perversely, shackled her to this personality that she was desperate to grow beyond.

Anyone deserved more than that from life. He had his own, private feelings about a parent stymying their child, stemming from an unspeakable trauma that only he and his brother could ever comprehend. But it seemed an alarming thing to him - especially when it came to someone with as much potential as Kore. He saw more in her than she seemed to see in herself: her intelligence, her empathy, the magnitude of power within her that she didn’t even acknowledge. He could feel it sometimes, energies beyond her reckoning thrumming insistently under her skin. Waiting. That was what alarmed him most - not only that those unrealised potential energies were there, and so strong, at that - but that they were something he recognised.

Hades realised with a start that he was driving through the gates of his own compound, with very little memory of how he’d arrived there. He scoffed - what a waste of a drive in an extortionately expensive car - before checking the time as he pulled into his garage. He had ten minutes before Kore was scheduled to arrive. Drinks really had run later than he’d expected.

Cerberus bounded out to greet him, looking simultaneously welcoming and guilty. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?” The great beast shrank by another few inches before turning on his tail and bounding towards the kitchen. “It’s not time for your dinner yet, what’s your problem?” Hades grumbled, mostly to himself, as he rounded the corner and found Kore sat at his kitchen table, reading. A frisson of delight ran through him at the sight of her, before considering the implications of her being in his house without his express say so. If Cerberus felt that she was entitled to be here, then he must feel that she  _ belonged _ in some way. He shot a look at Cerberus, who had the decency to look shamefaced and slink off somewhere. Kore turned a page in her book. He slid down into a chair opposite her.

“You know, he’s excellent at guarding the gate. Apparently not so much when it comes to my kitchen,” he joked, nudging one of her feet under the table with his own.

She closed her book heavily. “So I’m not welcome?” she snapped, and he felt his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. He noted her expression shift guiltily, and she busied herself stuffing a textbook back into her full-to-bursting purse. Hades suspected that she hadn’t  _ truly _ been reading and had rather been using the book as a prop. A marker, to highlight her impatience with him - something she wouldn’t usually voice.

“You’re early - you got here before I did, Kore. That’s all I meant.” He held his hands up in a placatory motion. “I’ll admit, I was surprised to find you inside, though.”

“Dryope let me go a little early from work,” she admitted. “I’ve had a rough day, so she said I could finish up earlier than usual. And you said you’d probably be here, so I figured it wouldn’t be a problem. I’ve only been here for about ten minutes. I didn’t go snooping, promise.” She paused, frowning. “I rang the bell, and nobody answered - I messaged you to say I was here, and when I got no response, I started feeling kind of exposed on the porch. Like, would somebody see me here and rat us out?” She frowned, twisting a lock of hair between her fingers. “And then Cerberus just…opened the door.”

At the mention of his name, the huge dog peered around the kitchen door. His claws tapped on the tiled kitchen floor and he came to stand next to the table, his three heads facing Kore. She looped her arms around a neck and he rested his head on her shoulder, huffing a sigh of contentment. Another head peered back at Hades, his back legs sidling closer in the hopes of garnering attention from both the gods in the kitchen. Hades laughed, scratching Cerberus’ back. His tail wagged timidly between his legs.

“He really does like you. Look at the way he’s sucking up to you, even though he knows that letting people in is against the rules.” She glowered at him. He amended his statement. “Some rules are, of course, up for negotiation. He made the right choice, and of course, I’m not upset that you’re a little earlier than I expected. Why would I be?”

Her stormy expression did not ease, and she shrugged defiantly. It had been a  _ bad  _ day for Kore, he thought, for her to be so defensive with him. She was all sharp edges and barbed comments, and she didn’t seem to be easing up. Hades felt his stomach clench unhappily - was she here out of obligation? Was  _ this _ a time when he had pushed too hard, been too forceful? He hoped not. 

Holding a hand out across the table, he voiced this concern. “You are always welcome here, sweetness. But, if you’re not in the right frame of mind, we can always reschedule. And I’m not saying that because I want you to go home,” he clarified, before she had the chance to interrupt, “I would love for you to stay, but I only want that if it’s your choice.”

She sighed, everything about her petulant and unhappy. Cerberus lay down next to her, folding up with the grace and elegance of a deck chair, before resting a head on the floor between their feet. “I don’t want to go home. It’s not that. I’m just - I don’t feel like myself. Or, at least, the ‘myself’ I am when we’re together.” She pulled a face. “I feel like a bitch.”

He nodded. “You’ve had a trying day, and you’re having trouble managing your feelings about it.” She avoided eye contact, acknowledging him by placing her hand in his open palm. He encased within both of his own, rubbing the inside of her wrist with the pad of his thumb, silently reassuring.

“You probably think I’m being super high maintenance,” she said, her voice pitched barely higher than a whisper.

“I’ll decide what I’m thinking, little flower,” he replied archly. He did not let go of her hand. She laughed a little at that, leaning down to press her forehead to his knuckles. He yearned to comfort her, to ease her worries.

“I didn’t want to do this,” she said into the table. “I wanted to come here and leave all of that mess outside. You don’t need my bullshit.”

“Kore, do you think that everything we do here is removed from our lives outside these walls?” He asked the question gently, removing one of his hands from her own to cup her cheek. She looked at him, eyes questioning. “Let's put it like this: do you trust me?”

“Yeah, of course,” she said, her expression drawn into thin lines of confusion. “It’d be dumb to let you tie me up and stuff if I didn’t trust you.”

“Quite. So, if you can trust me to look after you when you are  _ physically _ exposed and vulnerable…” He tailed off, letting her fill in the blanks. 

Her mouth formed a little o of recognition.

“I want,” he started, low and deliberate, “for you to go upstairs and into my bathroom. I want you to run yourself a bath and get in. Close your eyes, count your breaths, and wait for me.” 

A pink flush suffused her skin and she did as she was told. His gaze followed her as she left the room, and as she risked a look at him over her shoulder, their eyes met, and she whirled around, shocked to be caught. He chuckled as she scurried off. 

He waited for five minutes, indulging himself in a little imagining before he followed Kore into the bathroom. He wondered whether she would obey, lying there prone in the warm water, taking measured breaths and focusing on being present in her body? Or would she be misbehaving - passing her hands over her glistening, wet skin, even dipping a hand between her thighs…He shook himself. No. This was inappropriate right now, and there would be plenty of time for it later.

As he opened the door to the bathroom, a smile came to him, unbidden. She lay in the bath, hair piled up into a messy bun on the top of her head. She lay back in the water stiffly, eyes scrunched shut, trying to do as she was told, but seemingly in vain. 

“This feels dumb,” she declared, her voice bouncing back to her off the tiles. She flinched, the bath water sloshing around her, and she spoke again, more quietly: “Sorry. That was loud. But this  _ does _ feel dumb.”

“And I'm very pleased that you were still trying to give it a go, even though it made you feel foolish,” he responded warmly, perching on the edge of the bath. “Well done. You can open your eyes now, sweetness.” She giggled, lighter already, it seemed. She even smirked a little at him, trailing her fingers through the water. In the last three months of their involvement, something had eased in her response to him, in incremental ways. In the early days, she had shifted between preening in front of him while naked and shrinking away from his gaze. Now, he noted with no small delight, it was much more uncommon for her to be self-conscious in this way.

Hades removed his cufflinks and placed them on the shelf below the mirror, along with his cellphone and wallet. He rolled up his sleeves carefully. He could feel her eyes on him, and he looked up to meet her heated gaze. She said, somewhat breathlessly, “You’re doing that on purpose cause you know I like it.” 

He rolled his eyes, grinning at her. Gesturing imperiously, he indicated a bottle of shower gel, and snagged a clean washcloth from the stack at the other end of the tub. She obeyed, raising an eyebrow at him as she passed him the bottle. He dipped the washcloth in the bath, uncapping the bottle with a flick of his thumb. “Would you like to tell me about your day?”

She groaned. “Do I have to?”

“No,” he acknowledged. “It's your choice. You can choose to leave all of that unpleasantness downstairs and forget about it for now. But you might feel better afterwards. One might even say,  _ cleansed, _ ” he teased, and her lilting laugh stirred feelings of affection within him that he was becoming peculiarly familiar with. He gestured again, beckoning for her hand this time and setting the shower gel down by his feet.

“Gaia, the  _ puns _ , Hades,” she complained, her voice mirthful, holding out a hand dutifully. He ran the soapy cloth along her arm, and she leaned into his touch. “Ugh. Fine. It’s just been a total  _ day _ . I was late out of class, ‘cause some jerk insisted on asking the Professor about thirty dumbass questions at the end of the lecture, so I had to run for the train. Running? In heels? Not my idea of a good time - I nearly broke my neck. So then, I got onto the platform just in time to see my train leaving without me.” He nodded, running the cloth back down, and working on her hand. He pressed his thumbs gently into the pressure points in her palm, and her eyes drifted closed. "And  _ then  _ I realised I'd forgotten my ID to swipe into Tower Block One, and the Security guy was being a real asshole about letting me in without it. Like, I knew I had to sign in and everything like a visitor, but he was so sanctimonious and patronising about the whole fucking thing. He should consider himself lucky that I'm trying to be on my best behaviour lately. I don't imagine he'd make a particularly attractive house plant."

He laughed, gently encouraging her to lean forward as he passed the washcloth across the nape of her neck, delicately brushing the soft baby hairs at the nape of her neck out of the way. "While I'd prefer that you left my staff sentient and perambulatory, I'm intrigued. Is that something you can do?" 

The tips of her ears reddened. She eventually confessed: "I did it by accident to my Greek tutor when I was fifteen. I wasn't thinking. He implied I was stupid and...yeah. We all laughed it off as a joke gone too far after Mama had turned him back, but I don't think that he ever quite forgave me for his spell as a petunia plant." Hades pressed his lips together into a thin line, barely managing to restrain his laughter. He was thankful she was staring shamefacedly into her hands, worrying a hangnail on her thumb. He made a strangled sympathetic noise, and she seemed emboldened to continue. "Of course, it remained a secret. Nobody was allowed to speak of  _ the incident _ outside of the household. I don't think I'll ever know how he explained his sudden shift in color from green to purple, and the distinct floral smell that followed him everywhere afterwards." This was entirely too much, and he laughed, a sharp  _ pfft _ of derision escaping from between his lips, and that was it. He was laughing, loudly, so hard that his chest hurt, and she glowered at him. "It's not funny, Hades! It was super embarrassing!" 

He hooted, dabbing at his watering eyes with the back of his hand. "A petunia plant," he eventually choked out, before squeezing his eyes shut tight and inhaling deeply, forcing himself to regain some composure. "I apologise, Kore, I didn't intend to insult you. But you have to admit, it's quite funny, since no real harm was done in the end - even though your mother couldn't completely reverse your work. Never mind him tutoring you, he learned a lesson about  _ you _ that day, I'm sure." He gave her his most charming grin, and it worked - almost. She smiled a little in return, again lowering her gaze to her hangnail. 

"Mama said that she was humiliated by me. That I prove time and time again that I can’t be trusted to control myself." She said, chagrined - a confession of a wound still raw.

"Your mother was unfair," he reassured her, continuing to drag the warm, soapy cloth over her skin, pressing into the tightly wound musculature of her back. "I promise you, there isn't a god or goddess in this pantheon who hasn't had moments as a youth where they let their passions get the better of them.  _ Including _ your mother." He gave her a knowing look. "Ask Hera one day - they were practically raised as sisters."

She made a doubtful noise, but some of the tension under his hands eased, and she offered up her other arm for his attention before he had the chance to instruct her. Inside, he felt that familiar shivery thrill and delighted in it - he hadn’t even had to instruct her. She had simply done as he would have commanded.

"That is some phenomenal potential, you're aware," he said after a long moment, running long, slow strokes down the length of her forearm. "There are many gods and goddesses who long for that kind of power, and you released it in a fitful burst as a teen."

"Well, I've not done anything half as impressive since," she grumbled. 

"You acknowledge that you're impressive, though," he said gently. 

"I can think of two parts of me that are," she teased, squeezing her breasts together and looking at him coquettishly from under her lashes. 

He sighed indulgently, raising his eyebrows a fraction. "I mean it, Kore. It's relatively simple to conjure a seed and to coax it into life. But to  _ change _ a life, one that is already quite content being one thing, into another? And to do it with no guidance, no training, but simple intuition and sheer power? He was right to fear you." He held her gaze, a smirk playing about his lips. "More people should learn to fear you, in fact."

She raised her chin defiantly, her fingers curling possessively between his own. "Are you one of those people?" 

A hot thrill of arousal twisted deep inside him. He leaned in close to her upturned face, so close he could feel her breath ghost across his own lips. "No," he finally breathed, low and soft. "Because I know what keeps you in check, little flower."

She shuddered, her lips crashing into his own. She kissed him hungrily, desperately, and he almost gave in. It would be the work of moments to carry her to the bed and bury his tongue in her and work her to climax over and over until her voice was hoarse from screaming. 

But that wasn't what he had in mind. 

He pulled back and she mewled pathetically, reaching out for him. He snatched her wrists up, stilling her movement, imprisoning her in his grasp. The moment gave him time to compose himself, and when he spoke again, it was in the slow, dark, deliberate tones he used to order her submission. "Sit still. You'll ruin my clothes, Kore."

"Oh, I’ll get you wet? Like for like," she responded, unrestrained lust in her voice. He tutted, transferring both of her wrists to one hand, and plunging his other into the water, between her legs, searching out proof for himself. And  _ oh,  _ it was true, the silky wetness of her slick and hot against his fingers. She yelped, surprised by his abruptness - he knew she was used to him teasing her, and wondered if she was prepared for what he planned. He crooked his fingers inside her, thrusting his hand up into her, his movements sharp and quick in the way he knew drove her wild. He listened carefully to her high, needy moans, watched the way that her hands clenched into fists in his grasp, how a beautiful flush rose high in her cheeks and on her chest as he worked her determinedly towards her cresting orgasm, how her channel clenched around him just before she peaked - and he withdrew his fingers, leaving her wanting, desperate. She thrashed in his grip, a long, betrayed wail escaping from her, water sloshing over the edge of the bath. 

"I should have known, fuck, Gods, I should have fucking known," she moaned, throwing herself backwards in the bath and dropping her head the the wall with a heavy thud. 

"I wasn't finished," he responded blandly, picking up the washcloth from where it languished in the bath water, forgotten. 

"What, with…" she looked deliberately at the offending digits of his right hand, capturing her lower lip between her teeth. He laughed. 

"Fingering you? For the moment, yes. I was referring to the bath." He released her hands and adjusted his sitting position, sitting a little further back on the edge of the bath. He was distantly thankful that the broad rim of the bath was comfortable to perch on for this length of time.

She whined, one hand dropping to her thighs and creeping towards the soft curls between them. 

"Don't you dare," he warned her. "If I have to tie your hands, I will."

"Fine," she said, her face twisted into a petulant frown. 

"Stand up," he instructed, letting anger color his voice. "Now." Her eyes widened, and she clumsily got to her feet. He placed his hands on her hips and forcibly turned her, landing two stinging slaps on her cheeks. She squealed, the impact not so harsh as to  _ really _ hurt, but enough to shock her. "Why did I do that, sweetness?" he asked, smoothing his hand over her beautiful round ass. 

She took a shaky breath. "Because I was rude. Because I complained. Because I made like I was going to - to touch myself." 

"Correct." He kissed the blossoming pink hand print he'd left on her. It would fade within minutes, but wasn't it a lovely sight? "Sit. We will continue."

"Yes, sir," she breathed, lowering herself into the bath again. He reached into the water when she was settled, and raised her leg from the bath, resting one of her feet in his lap. To hell with keeping dry. She frowned at him and her mouth opened, as if to question him. A single sharp glance in her direction silenced her before she’d even begun to form the words. He neglected the cloth this time, instead squeezing a little soap into his hands and rubbing up a lather, before taking it into his hands. He pressed his thumbs firmly into the arch of her foot, working one up towards the ball and the other down towards her heel. She hummed a little as he massaged the muscles in her feet, before working his way up along her delicate little ankle. He curled his fingers around it, encircling it between his forefinger and thumb, marvelling at the shapeliness of every inch of her. From her tousled hair, tumbling from her bun in long, silky waves, down to her very extremities and her pretty painted toenails, she was utterly irresistible. His mouth watered. He passed his hands up along her calf, gliding along her thigh, before exchanging the foot in his lap for the other and repeating the process. By the time he finished, she was entirely undone, her breath coming in long, shuddering gasps, her eyes glassy and unfocused.  _ He _ had done this to her, made her desperate for his touch, given her exactly what she wanted and denied it to her all at once. He held her in thrall. It was dizzying, a high that no other part of his life could ever come close to. For her to desire him so desperately, for her to not recoil from his power over her, but ardently seek it out and to beg for his control,  _ fates _ , it made him uncomfortably hard.

“Sir,” Kore breathed, her pupils blown wide and wanting. “Sir, I need you, please.”

“What do you need, little flower?” He took one of her hands and stood, coaxing her to her feet. She leaned into him, holding onto his bare forearms. He schooled his expression into one of polite curiosity, knowing that she would find his cool treatment of her maddening.

“I need you to fuck me,” she said simply. “I mean, I really, really want to feel your cock inside me. Please.” 

He grinned crookedly. “How could I possibly deny you, when you asked so nicely?”

***

Hades ran his fingers along her spine. Kore writhed under the touch, arching her back and pressing her torso into his. She wriggled. “That tickles!”

“I know,” he teased, “that’s why I’m doing it.” 

“Ugh!” She sat up, the covers and her prodigiously long locks puddling around her in the bed - pink tresses behind her, blue comforter in front. She stretched out, shuddering dramatically. “It’s  _ not _ funny, Hades.” The smile threatening to break across her face declared that to be a lie. 

She leaned over, resting her head on his chest and looking up at him with her beautiful, doe-like eyes. He hoped she hadn’t heard the way his heart stuttered. They stayed like that for a moment, he had no idea how long. Just looking at one another. The very air around them was thick with tension, blanketing them like a fresh, unexpected snowfall. He gazed into her eyes, ensnared by her. 

“Tell me something about you,” she finally declared, her voice soft.

“Demanding,” he hummed, bringing his hand to rest at the small of her back once more.

“Not really.” She frowned. “You know all sorts of stuff about me. I’m an open book when it comes to you. You’re a lot more...guarded, I guess.”

“I don’t see how that’s a problem,” he replied, feeling his brow knit into a frown of his own.

“It’s not,” she clarified. “Not really. It’s just that - well, I know you’re not like, my boyfriend or anything. And I’m not asking for things to change, either,” she hurriedly added, wrinkling her nose in displeasure. “I like things between us as they are. We already decided that we’re not seeing other people, and that’s fine by me. What I mean is that. Um.” She huffed a laugh, giving him an apologetic look. “I should have thought about what I was gonna say here before I started talking.”

“Take your time,” he encouraged her.

She paused, mulling it over. When she spoke again, her words were careful. “I mean that...I trust you, with a lot of stuff. Our relationship isn’t just sex, or the dominance and submission stuff that we do. We share more than that. Emotionally, I mean.”

“True,” he admitted. 

“You know a ton of stuff about my life. You let me unload my boring life shit onto you all of the time. And I know that you’re more reserved when it comes to that sort of thing, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t get to you. And I just...I guess I wanted to point out that you  _ can _ talk to me about stuff if you want to, without it turning this into something that I know  _ I’m _ not ready for it to be. We text every day. We’re friends.” She paused, letting her words settle, before continuing on a lighter note. “Maybe, one day, you might even learn how to FaceTime and then you’ll never get rid of me.” She grinned, teasing.

“I know how to FaceTime,” he responded, hoping that Kore hadn’t heard the hints of a defensive tone in his voice. “I simply prefer not to conduct a conversation in which I’m looking at a tiny picture-in-picture of myself. It’s off putting.”

If she had noticed, she gallantly ignored it, and instead giggled. “You’re saying you’d spend more time looking at yourself than at me if we were video calling? The audacity!” 

He laughed with her, before snaking his arm around her waist and kissing her soundly. “Considering you spend half of your time calling yourself ‘dumb,’ you’re very emotionally astute, you know.” He paused for a moment, before pulling a face. “I’m not really a sharer when it comes to feelings, honestly. Don’t take it personally.”

“I know. I don’t. I just don’t want you to think that I think of you as being a stereotypical Dom from some cheesy romance novel, who has all of his shit together perfectly, and never needs anything from his sub but sex and someone to punish arbitrarily.” Her nose wrinkled in distaste.

“I know exactly the trope you’re referring to.” His expression was a mirror of her own, he was sure. “And I do appreciate what you’re offering.”

“I tell you what.” She sat up a little, her eyes glittering with something wicked. “Tell me what makes it so appealing to you.”

“What makes what so appealing?”

“You know. Dominance.” 

He laughed. “I suppose that’s a good question. I don’t imagine that it’s something you’ve ever considered for yourself.”

“Nope. Switching isn’t for me, I don’t think.” Her face was thoughtful, and he couldn’t help but laugh again. She was genuinely contemplating it.

“ _ Switching _ , you say?” His voice was teasing. “Since when were you so au fait with the parlance of the BDSM scene, little flower?”

“I’ve been doing a whole bunch of reading about it. I’ve been learning about the kind of things I’d like us to do together.” Kore’s face darkened at this admission.

He swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly dry. “Oh, you  _ are _ a good girl, aren’t you?”

She hummed a pleased little laugh, and landed a kiss on his collarbone. “Sometimes. But you still haven’t answered my question.”

“I suppose it’s about control.” He paused for a second, framing his thoughts. “There’s a lot of reasons, but primarily, I like the thrill that comes from being in control.”

She frowned. “But you’re a CEO. You’re the King. You’re in control all of the time.”

He smiled at her wryly. “That’s true. I enjoy my work, too. I find my roles very rewarding. But trust me - there’s nothing sexy about paperwork. The most intensely erotic thing that a sexual partner can do for me is to submit to me and let me push them further past their boundaries than they knew they could go.”

“So, it’s about the thrill of taking me further than ever before?” She looked up at him, the remainder of her rosy pink flush, quickly fading, dusting across her cheekbones. There was no denying her beauty, especially in quiet, intimate moments like this. “And knowing that I let you have that kind of power over me must be pretty exhilarating, right?”

And there was no denying the way that his feelings for Kore had grown, either, but  _ that _ he could at least keep to himself for the time being. 

“Right,” he agreed softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “And I don’t take it for granted, either.”

“I know.” Her smile lit up her entire face. “I don’t think you’ve ever taken a single thing about me for granted.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Hades said, surprised by his own honesty, watching her expression shift from open and affectionate to indignance. He powered through. “At first, I thought I had you figured out. But I quickly recognised that I would have to change my evaluation of you, which may have been coloured by the perspective of others. You find ways to surprise me all the time.”

She nodded, accepting this new information easily. “Yeah, that makes sense. We didn't really know each other at the beginning, and it's not as if you've never read a paper. She shrugged. “You're nothing like people make out, either.”

“Is that so? There's more to the terrifying King of the Underworld than the papers say?” His voice was thick with teasing sarcasm. 

“So I've heard,” she said dryly, rolling her eyes. 

“Anyway. There is one thing that I take utterly for granted about you.”

“Yeah?” She raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

“Your answer to the question I’m about to ask.” He smirked.

She sighed, a long suffering sound. An affectation. “Go on.” She sat up, on the surface cool and patient, a glimmer of mirth dancing at the edges of her gaze.

“Alright. My question for you, Kore, Goddess of Spring, is this...Shall I order takeout?”


	13. Balance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I extend my gratitude to Ellis, the nonpareil of authorly discourse and insight, and to the wonderful K.G. for indulging me in chatter about characterisation and general excellence.

She entered his office without knocking.

Hades didn’t even look up from his monitor as he typed. “Take a seat, Miss Kore. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Kore sat in one of the chairs opposite his desk, with the distinct feeling that she was more likely to be getting fired than going out for lunch. She huffed. “Some welcome, Hades. Jeez.”

He looked at her over the top of his monitor, his expression disparaging. “If you’d knocked, you might have seen just how welcoming I can be.”

“You were expecting me!” She rolled her eyes, anticipating a scolding.

“And _you_ were testing me - to see if I would allow you to get away with more than I did last time you were here. You wanted to check if I liked you better upon this meeting than our last encounter here.” He gave her a searching look. “There’s no need to be underhanded. You can just ask me.”

Kore’s mouth fell open. She thought, distantly, that if there were any justice, a yawning chasm would open up beneath her feet. Like a familiar, unwelcome friend, blood flooded to her face and she felt intimately aware of how she must look from Hades’ position: a scolded child. A chastised girl, unfit to handle even the mildest of criticism, let alone anything more challenging.

His expression was soft, and he smiled wryly at her. “Would you like to know the answer to that question, Kore? All you have to do is ask.”

She shrugged, affecting a much more casual air than she felt, kicking at the soft carpet underfoot with the toe of one pump. “I think I’ll pass. I know better than to ask questions when I wouldn’t know what to do with the answer. I _have_ picked up a thing or two about restraint in the last few months,” she added, her voice tinged with reproach.

His faint smile broadened approvingly. “I know, Sweetness.”

A comfortable silence settled between them, and she watched him as he returned to his work. This was how it had been for them for a little while - both of them skirting around a larger topic, refusing to put a name to the relationship between them. It was strange - it felt almost as if they were meant to let something more meaningful blossom between them, but the differences in their lives, their roles, felt like an irreconcilable schism. Kore knew at the most intrinsic level that it was this that kept their arrangement strictly sexual.

Except it wasn’t, was it? The fact that she was here in his office, waiting to have lunch together, was testament to that. They spent more time talking and laughing together than anything else during their visits together, especially of late. Their texting had somehow grown into lengthy phone calls, and while Hades was still uncompromising on his privacy when it came to a lot of things, he had begun to share more aspects of his life with her. She had learned that he liked to swim, and was faintly disappointed that only Cerberus liked to accompany him on his morning runs. She received daily pictures of the dogs more often than not. On one notable occasion the week prior, he had called her on the way home from work because he was _angry_ \- and that moment of vulnerability had been rich with an intimacy, a rawness, different to anything that they had shared before.

“What are you up to, anyway? You said you’d be free at twelve for lunch.” Her question was light, and she hoped he wouldn’t take it as an accusation.

“Alas, deadlines wait for no man,” he responded, his gaze fixed on the monitor, his words careful. “This is an important one, too, commercially speaking. I will meet with the Board off the back of this proposal, and it could potentially have significant implications for the direction the company takes with regard to our branding and advertising in coming months.” He frowned, scrolling now rather than typing. “I’m almost finished, truthfully, but I need to send this to Hecate for the final review before the end of the day, and I pride myself on needing very little polish.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’d finish off after lunch, but I’ve blocked out this afternoon for royal duties. So I’ll finish up with this and then we can decide on lunch plans.” While his words were firm and decisive, he gave her an odd look; an expression of a strange frustration that seemed uncommonly out of place on him, the pinched, hunted look throwing the conviction of his utterances into doubt. 

_He hates this,_ she realised, overwhelming comprehension blooming within her. _He thinks he’s going to miss his deadline - and even if he doesn’t, he’s late to lunch. He has duties to his company, to his realm, and now...those duties seem to include making time for me._ Kore sat, stunned, as the implications of this realisation rattled within her, like a dropped penny ringing out its final circuits before it stills. _Everything is about control with him, and this scrabbling to meet a deadline is not controlled to his liking. This is too close for comfort._

Unbidden, visions of Hades’ influence over her leapt to the forefront of her mind. Ways in which he had kept her in line, forced her to maintain her composure, by taking control of the situation. Allowing her to relinquish her control to his authority, the joyful _surrender_ that he allowed her - a surrender that he delighted in, just as much as she did.

Kore could not take control, but she could offer control to him.

“I will patiently await your instruction, Sir,” she said, quiet and docile. His head snapped up to look at her, and she held his gaze for a moment, before averting her eyes deliberately, casting them down to her lap. She heard him release a breath, and couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes, I suppose you would,” he said thoughtfully. “And I suppose you need something to occupy yourself with while you wait. You’re not _that_ patient.”

“Please?” she asked, looking up from her lap imploringly. “I left my phone.” She contemplated adding _and I’m already bored,_ but decided against it. _Hold it together, don’t overdo it, now._

He smirked at her, that lopsided smile that never failed to catch something inside her chest and tug insistently. “Why don’t you make us a coffee? There’s a machine in that cabinet.” He gestured vaguely behind him. “You remember how I take it, don’t you?”

“Yes, Sir.” She sprang from her chair, the harsh lines of his posture eased a fraction as she swished across the room to obey his instructions. She’d usually give him a harder time about an act of service like this. He knew it too, and he clearly enjoyed the back and forth they usually exchanged before she pouted and conceded, but he’d seemingly chosen to ignore it and accept the reassurance she was offering. Her heart clenched, giddy at the thought that even in this minor way, she could tend to _his_ needs, and it clenched again, more insistently this time, as she opened the little mini-fridge and noted a carton of almond milk, unopened.

After a short while and a few murmured obscenities under her breath while she operated the espresso machine, she returned to the desk with two lackluster looking coffees. “And this is why they get me to _fetch_ the coffee downstairs,” she sulked, deflated, placing them both down on the desk carefully before sinking herself back into the chair with a dramatic sigh. 

He laughed at her then, typing one last sentence before hitting the enter key with finality. A sound from the speakers indicated that he’d sent an email. “Done,” he sighed, leaning over to pick up his coffee. He toasted her with the mug, before lifting it to his lips and drinking deeply. He pulled a face pulling his lips in and licking them slowly. “Ah. I see what you mean.”

She scowled. “Hey, it can’t be that bad!” She took a sip from her own mug. She stiffened and shuddered as she swallowed. “Oh, ew. It’s gritty.” He nodded grimly, reaching out to remove the offending drink. She relinquished it with no small amount of gratitude, smiling ruefully. 

“You’re right, Kore. This is a disaster I don’t think you’ll ever recover from,” he teased. She smiled wanly, reminded of something much less pleasant, that she thought it was important to mention. A moment of uncertainty twisted her insides - what if he thought she was overstepping the bounds of their relationship? 

She thought for a moment, and decided it was worth it. She spoke, choosing her words carefully. “Speaking of disasters, have you heard about what’s happened to Dasós?”

Hades turned away from the cabinet, where he was rinsing the two mugs in a tiny sink, tucked away in a corner. “I recall hearing that she’s been up to something unsavory, but I haven’t had the chance to look into it any further than that - why?”

“Apparently, she had someone hack their way into her social media accounts over the weekend, mainly her cloud photo storage, and her contacts saw a bunch of photos of her that were never meant to go public, if you see what I mean.”

“That’s terrible,” he said, frowning.

“Yeah.” The pause dragged out for longer than she intended it to. She bit her lip. “I feel really bad for her. She seemed fine when I spoke to her this morning, but now that people at work have caught wind of it, you know what’s going to happen.”

“Oh? What might that be?” Hades sounded genuinely concerned, leaning across the desk.

“Well, rumours start, don’t they? That it was done on purpose. That she likes the attention. All of that kind of gross stuff that people say about women. I mean, people at work have only known about this for a day, and look at how the story was told to you.” She forced herself to take a deep breath. “She’s worried about how this will affect her on a professional level, and she might be right to worry.”

He frowned, uncomprehending. “I wouldn’t let something like this affect her progression here, you know.”

“I know,” she agreed quickly. “I hardly think you’re some kind of bigot. I’m more worried about the way other people will respond to her. Her coworkers, supervisors, that kind of thing. The people who immediately deal with her and would be able to recommend her for promotions and stuff. Not that anyone will decree from on high that she’s a slut and she should resign immediately, but that the environment will become too awkward for her to work in.”

“I’m in a position to ensure that won’t happen,” he concluded. 

Kore gasped. “But you know that you can’t say anything to her or let her know that you know, right?”

“You don’t think she’d appreciate the show of support?”

“I think she’d be mortified that you knew, honestly.” She pulled a face. “I was in two minds to talk to you about it, to tell you the truth. It’s not my story to tell, but you’d kind of already heard the wrong story.”

He nodded. “I understand what you’re saying. I’ll ensure that any instructions I give will be discreet.” She nodded fervently, relief washing across her. He gave her a searching look. “This means a lot to you, doesn’t it? I didn’t realise she was such a particular friend of yours.”

“Honestly, she’s not. I guess I just...Know how she feels. To have to figure out how exactly to function in the world, after you’ve been seen to do something outrageous.” She picked at a loose thread on the hem of her skirt. “Even if it’s not entirely your fault.”

He gave her a soft smile, reaching across to take her hand. “Dasós has people who care about her, and a supportive working environment here. I’ll keep an ear to the ground to ensure that she is continuing to receive professional, fair treatment.”

Kore sighed. “I guess so. Thank you for saying that - it means a lot to me.”

He inclined his head slightly. “I’m sure you know that I haven’t said it to soothe your feelings. It’s the way I feel. I abhor the rumor mill in all its forms.”

“I know,” and she smiled at him a little. “It’s just that...well, work is only one aspect of her life, isn’t it? I wish I could do more to help her.”

“Because you feel like you can’t help yourself,” he commented gently, astutely. She looked over his shoulder, out of the window. “Kore...I know as well as you do that a lot of a young woman’s reputation is staked upon her propriety, as your friend has discovered. If you’re seen to be improper in some way, even in our modern society, it’s shocking - and that shock can be either good or bad. It’s why you’ve been so popular in the press - you’ve intentionally shirked that propriety, instead making yourself respected in other ways. Notoriety has its perks, I’m sure.” He made a faintly disapproving face. “However, it’s time sensitive. You will, of course, be young and beautiful forever, I’m sure.” He winked at her here, and she smiled shyly. “The thing with the press is that although they are incorrigible, it’s on their terms. They won’t tolerate you boring them. And they will eventually start to find publishing ‘Goddess has diva meltdown’ boring. So, what do you plan to do?”

Kore sighed, uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat, withdrawing her hand from Hades’ grasp to smooth her skirt down self consciously, fingers drumming restlessly against her thighs. She itched to crack a joke and find some way to lighten the atmosphere but somehow, it seemed pointless, fruitless, to search too hard for a punchline that she knew would be ill received. The gulf in the conversation grew ever wider, and she pulled at an errant thread in the opulent chair she sat in, teasing it out from within the weft of the fabric with questing fingernails.

Hades raised one brow pointedly. “That upholstery is older than you are, little goddess.” Her fingers stilled immediately and she glanced at him, chagrined. He rolled his eyes, but there was mirth there, dancing just beyond that cool expression.

“Sorry.” She pulled a face and deliberately laced her fingers together in her lap, making every effort to convey contrition. Her earnestness made him laugh, a rolling, deep sound she adored, but not quite the desired effect.

He dismissed the concern with a cursory flick of his fingers. “A matter of moments to repair. I’ll have someone see to it when I remember to pass it on to my PA. It’s not a big deal.” He paused here, giving her a piercing look. “But I do recall asking you a question.”

Folding her arms defensively in front of her, she huffed, “I know. I was hoping to avoid answering it. I don’t know why I thought I could get away with it.” She gave him a glower of her own, and he grinned, indulging her petulance. “But I know you’re right. I can’t court the press like this forever. It’s not something I’d considered when I first exploded in public. I mean, I lost it, I was super embarrassed, and I figured that the best thing to do was to lean into it. Make it my own. But now, I’ve backed myself into a corner and I’m gonna have a hell of a time working my way out. So, in answer to your question...I’m not really sure what my plan is, honestly.”

“Well, think about what you’ve done here.” He gestured around them. “You were presented with an opportunity in the shape of your internship, and you have been surpassing everyone’s expectations. People in your department respect you and value your input - even though you’re just an intern, And that, by the way, is a role that you have taken on remarkably well, considering the tedious nature of some of the tasks you’re being asked to do. You’re making huge strides in the right direction already. I’m proud of you, Kore.”

She jolted, her mouth dropping open. He was so casual, checking his watch, as if he had no idea what he’d just said to her. She wanted _-_ unfathomably, profoundly so - to bask in his favour, to have him praise her and pet her and to be pleased by her -

His words pulled her from her reverie. “Ah - and - we’re late. I’ve taken up twenty minutes of your lunch already.” He looked up at her, and catching the way she stared at him, open mouthed, his expression shifted into something unreadable. He swallowed. Her eyes tracked the movement of his throat and she imagined planting a kiss there.

“You’re proud of me,” she repeated slowly, her voice quavering.

“I am, little goddess - quite.” he replied, reaching over to cup her cheek in his palm. She leaned into his touch needily, her eyes fluttering closed. “I see. Is lunch no longer a priority?” His voice was low, measured. Her pulse raced beneath her skin, and she exhaled, slowly, before she spoke again.

“No. I’m not hungry anymore.” She hopped up onto his desk, twisting to face him.

He rose from his seat, leaning in close behind her, hands braced either side of her on the desk. He placed a kiss on her neck, just beneath her ear. His voice was soft, and the sensation of his breath against her skin made her shiver. “Well, as much as I prefer for you to _tell_ me what you need, I believe that this time I’m more than capable of inferring your meaning.” The skin on her arms prickled, the mere proximity of him making her body respond helplessly. She was blooming flowers wildly, she knew it. She didn’t have to see herself to know what sort of things they would be - jasmine, chamomile, maybe - and the sharp, fresh scent of coriander cut through the space between them. She hoped that the language of plants was lost on him, that her actions would speak for themselves without her desires being so baldly writ through her manifestations.

“Then maybe you ought to lock the door,” she said, low and enticing, swinging her legs idly. She looked from under her lashes at him, watching him return to her from the door, having heard the telltale _click_ of the lock. “It’s about time you finished what you started all those weeks ago, you know.”

“From the meeting that you take every opportunity to describe as ‘unremarkable’ and ‘boring,’ by any chance, sweetness?” He folded his arms, surveying her position atop the dark wood of his desk.

“Can you blame me? You made me think I was going to get the dicking down of my life, and you left me high and dry! It was all I could think about for _days._ ”

“Keep using that mouth of yours, and I’ll give you an encore of that treatment,” he warned darkly, a wicked grin spreading across his face as he closed the distance between them, coming to a halt, the fabric of his trousers skimming the bare skin between her knees. She widened her legs to accommodate his frame and hooked her ankles around the backs of his legs, drawing him in. She reached up to him imperiously, and he huffed a surprised little laugh, leaning down to kiss her. She luxuriated in his touch, certain and possessive anywhere his hands landed. She thrilled at the thought - what it would be to be _possessed_ by him - and greedily deepened the kiss, humming a note of pleasure as his tongue darted across her lower lip. Desire unfurled within her, beating a frantic pulse between her legs. She _wanted him._

“I would happily have you kiss me all day,” she eventually managed to say, as they parted and he moved downwards, pressing kisses against her jawline, her throat. 

Hades chuckled. “I think not. You’re far too demanding - and besides, your lunch break ends in forty minutes. People will come looking.” His hands settled on the lapels of her jacket, and she released her hold on him to comply with his wish to unclothe her. He slid his hands along her bare arms, slipping a thumb underneath the strap of her camisole expectantly.

“I’ll tell them I’m suddenly sick. Vitamin deficiency.” She grinned, and he scowled at her.

“Do not finish that joke, Kore,” he warned, bowing his head to plant sucking kisses at her collarbone, a hand snaking down between her legs to run questing fingers along her slit - the silk of her panties already damp with her arousal. He continued levelly, “I’m more than entertained by you as it is. Boorishness will not endear you to me.”

“What joke? I don’t recall making a joke,” she replied innocently, the mirthful lilt in her voice heralding her as a liar. “Vitamin D is very important - ah!” She squirmed, pain blossoming at her shoulder as he nipped her shoulder in admonishment.

“I warned you,” he said, stepping away from her, snatching his hand from between her thighs. She whimpered at the loss of contact and shifted unhappily as he stood back, regarding her as if she posed a problem. “You use that filthy mouth in all of the wrong ways.” He shrugged his jacket off, the heels of his dress shoes clicking loudly against the tiled floor as he moved behind the desk. She craned her neck to watch him. He paid her no mind, hanging his jacket on the back of his desk chair and sitting in it. Regarding her flatly, he delivered a command: “Come here.”

She leapt to comply, almost overbalancing in her heels as she hastened to stand before him. He twisted in the office chair, facing her. She cursed her diminutive stature, not for the first time: he was at eye level with her, despite sitting down, despite her high heels. Hades casually leaned back in the plush chair, his legs spread wide, the tailored suit trousers he wore doing very little to disguise the thick ridge of his erection captured beneath them.

“Kneel.”

She complied, pulse racing and heart pounding in her chest.

Looking up at him, she sent a silent word of thanks to whatever happy circumstance had led her to this moment. He was strikingly attractive, and not just in appearance: exuding confidence from every pore, his every mannerism and movement decisive and certain. He was a _king_ , she considered, realising that the enormity of that had somehow been lost on her up until this moment. She had seen him in pictures in his full royal garb, and she had even been face to face with him wearing his crown in this exact office, some two months previous. But it had felt distant - as if it was the sort of thing that mattered to other people.

 _What could a king possibly stand to gain from being involved with me?_ she wondered, catching her bottom lip between her teeth, a sudden anxiety gripping her. Hades immediately noticed, leaning forward in his chair, bracing his forearms on his knees. His fingers caught her chin, pulling her face up towards him. “I’m shocked,” he murmured into her ear, the warmth of his breath on her skin dizzying, “that when you are here with me, you are thinking of anything else other than how many times I can make you come in the next forty minutes.” Her arousal sprang back into life, wetness gathering between her legs, and a strangled little moan escaped from between her parted lips.

“My apologies, Sir,” she said, and he gave her a knowing grin, leaning back and beckoning for her to come closer. She felt her pulse quicken again. _How does he do that,_ a detached part of her mind wondered inanely, as she almost crawled along the floor to kneel between his spread thighs. _How does he know exactly what to say, and exactly how to say it?_

“It’s too late for apologies,” he teased, “where that filthy mouth of yours is concerned. I’ve told you - you’re putting it to better use.” His hand on her cheek was cool, and his thumb smoothed across the skin there gently, before dropping to the corner of her mouth and pressing more firmly, parting her lips. Kore instinctively moistened them with her tongue. He combed that same hand through her short, tousled hair, admiring the flurry of purple hydrangea petals he came away with. He scattered them atop a pile of paperwork, a concern for later. “I’ve been waiting too long to see you with my cock in your mouth, my flower,” he told her, without a single trace of embarrassment. She was sure she felt enough for both of them, her face filling with heat. He grinned at her unrepentantly, dropping a hand to his belt buckle. He made short work of unfastening his trousers, his cock springing free of the confines of his underwear, long, hard, mouthwatering. He arched an eyebrow. “Well?”

She didn’t need to be asked twice. Leaning in, she licked a long, flat stripe along the underside of his cock, closing her hand around the base and pumping slowly. He sighed appreciatively as she lavished attention on the head, encircling it with her lips and lapping at the sensitive, engorged rim, before allowing her head to sink down further, engulfing more of him in her mouth. She pulled back, slicking his length, rolling the flat of her tongue against the ridge along the underside of his dick. He hummed, resting a hand gently on the back of her head, speaking low, filthy words of praise that sent blood rushing to her long neglected sex. “You should see how fucking phenomenal you look with your mouth full of my cock. Just sublime - _fuck,_ ” he hissed, his shaft throbbing. Kore moaned around him, the act of opening her mouth allowing an almost profane dribble of saliva to glide down and wet her hand. She worked her hand around his base, adding a little lubrication to the movements of her fist around him - not much, just enough to elicit wet little sounds from the draw of her hand up and down along his length. 

Hades gasped softly, exerting the slightest pressure with his hand on the back of her head, stroking her short hair, seeking purchase but finding none. She inhaled deeply and sank ever lower, his dick pressing into the back of her throat as her lips met her own fist in deliciously slick contact. She hollowed out her cheeks, exhilarating in the sounds he made and the possessive, claiming hand atop her head. And that, above all else, made her head swim. His desire for her, in this way - for her to be his. Looking up at him, she reached for his other hand. He indulged her, and made a deep, rumbling sound of approval as she placed that one on the back of her head, too. He held her still, rocking his hips beneath her in restrained motions. Her senses were overwhelmed like this, inundated with him. Everything else slipped away, and she delighted in it, chasing that blissful, floaty space where nothing seemed real save for the two of them.

Before long, the urge to breathe became too intrusive to ignore, and she pulled back minutely, Hades’ hands on her head immediately releasing her. She looked up at him, making a show of it - a bead of saliva dripping from her lip onto the tip of his cock, and as she pulled away, it stretched enticingly. “Fuck,” he groaned hoarsely. “I would happily have you do _that_ all day,” he hummed, “but I have other plans.” He stood, hoisting her up onto the desk in one fluid motion, twitching her silky panties to one side. A finger slipped easily between her folds, just poised at her entrance, teasing her while she heard the telltale crinkle of the foil wrapper of a condom, and her pulse raced in anticipation. He pressed her backwards, down onto the desk, rubbing the blunt head of himself between her folds. He cradled her head in his large palm in a proprietary fashion, his fingers spread broadly across the base of her skull. She shivered as he turned her head ever so slightly, the warmth of his breath tickling the short hairs behind her ear. His overwhelming physical presence was intoxicating in its closeness as he bracketed her delicate between the cool mahogany of his desk and the angular lines of his body. “Is this what you want?” he murmured into her ear, his voice rich and throaty, brimming with barely controlled mirth. “You’ll have to tell me.”

Her thoughts were incoherent - not being fucked felt like agony. “Please,” she begged, “I need--”

“Good girl - of course you do.” He kissed her jawline, his hand coming around to draw the pad of his thumb across the skin he’d just pressed his lips to. “I think you can do better. Tell me what you want. I want to hear it coming out of that perfect little mouth of yours.”

She whimpered, screwing her eyes shut. “Please, Sir! I need to feel your cock inside me, or I swear I think I’ll die, please, please fuck me -” Her words were cut off by a strangled yelp as he did exactly as she asked, his hand edging across those last few inches to cover her mouth. A frisson of delight ran through her, as powerful and _expected_ as the rolling clap of thunder that follows a lightning strike. She had long since learned that denying the way her body responded to his control was futile.

“My good girl,” he murmured reverently into her ear, thrusting into her deep and slow, “doing exactly as she’s told. Truly, a sight to behold - but don’t forget, we aren’t alone in this tower block. You’ll have to be quieter than that - someone might hear.” He removed his hand, looking down at her, mirthful in the secret they shared. Her heart _thrummed_ with delight.

“Oh, fuck, that’s hot,” she blurted out, before clapping her hands to her own mouth. 

His eyes widened, his lopsided smile spreading into a grin. “You are _delightful,_ did you know that?” He claimed her lips in a long, fiery kiss, before increasing his pace, the soft sound of their bodies meeting now seeming obscenely loud. “What if somebody did hear?” His voice was soft, speculative, as he tugged on the straps of her camisole, roughly pulling it down to expose her breasts. She gasped, and bit down on her tongue. Every single noise seemed deafening. He rolled a nipple between finger and thumb, effortlessly plunging his cock into her, over and over. “What if somebody tried the door, right now, and found it locked? What would you do? Your skirt up around your waist, sprawled across my desk, being fucked out of your mind?”

Kore moaned wantonly behind tightly pressed lips, snaking a hand between them, reaching down to skim fingers across her clit. He chuckled, capturing her hand in his own and pressing a kiss to her fingertips. _My Dom,_ part of her trilled in delight, as he replaced her fingers with his own, pressing down upon that tight little nub and circling it deliberately, chasing her release for her as he fucked her at a punishing pace, their bodies coming together in sharp, slapping sounds. Her breath came in hitched, gulping gasps, knowing she was close, babbling nonsense sentences and so, so intoxicated by the simple _suggestion_ that they could be caught - “Yes,” he hissed fervently, as she clamped down on his cock in climax, a high pitched whimper escaping from her as she rode it out. She shuddered beneath him, almost overly sensitive as he approached his own orgasm. He panted, his brow furrowed, eyes drifting shut in ecstasy. She wrapped her legs around him, holding him close, moaning in wordless encouragement. Pressing his face into the crook of her neck, muffling a moan, she felt him shudder as he came, his cock twitching inside her. Moving back, supporting himself above her on a forearm, he pressed his forehead to hers. She ran her fingers through his hair, her own eyes fluttering closed in the intimacy of the moment.

Hades grinned at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before withdrawing and tucking himself away inside his trousers, leaving her briefly to dispose of the condom. She hopped off the desk and stretched out as tall as she could for a moment, raising her arms above her head, delighting in her post-orgasmic bliss. A part of her realised as he returned to her, that even when standing at her fullest height, the top of her head didn’t even reach his chest. That seemed unfair, somehow. Threading her fingers between his, Kore rested her head against Hades' torso, dimly noting that the fabric of his shirt was stiflingly hot - he had worked up a sweat, too. 

"That was nice," she eventually murmured, raising her head expectantly towards him. He chuckled, leaning down to allow his lips to meet hers. She revelled in the feeling. She felt limitlessly happy in his presence, indulging in the delights of his lips, his tongue - the pleased little hum that he made as he released her hands and placed them at her waist.

"Evidently so," he said, smiling at her, his eyes crinkling delightedly. "You're floating."

Kore took stock of her surroundings - how they were suddenly, surprisingly eye to eye, how her perspective on the world had altered markedly, and how her feet most definitely did not touch the ground. She drifted in midair, unmoored save for the light pressure of Hades' hands on her waist, which as if to demonstrate, he removed. She gasped, facing him again with wide eyes. "Fates, you’re right! Oh, Hades - I'll never get ragged on for being too short to keep up _ever again._ This is so cool!" She turned in the air, overjoyed.

"Very nice," he agreed. "Try not to show off too much."

"Are you kidding? I'm rubbing this in everyone’s faces for the next _century_." But even as she said it, she descended, alighting gently on the floor. She checked her watch, and went slightly pale. “My lunch break ends in like, five minutes, though.”

“In which case, I should let you leave.” 

She turned around, casting around the room, before making a sound of dismay. “I forgot to bring my purse with me. There’s no way I’ll get down there and back up in time.” She laughed wryly. “I have your sweater - I brought it to work today to give it back to you.”

“Keep it,” he said, a twinkle forming in his eye, some unexplained mischief evidently afoot.

“Keep it?” she frowned.

“Of course. It’s yours.” He leaned down, cupping her face in his hands, pressing a sweet, chaste kiss to her lips. Her heart fluttered - as she had grown used to in his presence. As they parted, he held her in the same position, a sly smirk forming. “But there must be balance.”

“Balance?” She congratulated herself for adding so much to the conversation.

“I require something of yours.”

“Like what?” 

“Your panties.” He grinned now, clearly enjoying the shock she knew was written all over her face, and the rising blush prickling in her cheeks. “Unless you’re not as daring as you make out.”

She huffed, stepping back out of his grasp and rising to the challenge. “I’m plenty daring and you know it.” She hitched her skirt up, making sure to deliberately trail her fingertips up along her thighs. She hooked her thumbs under the waistband of her underwear, pulling down incrementally. Her skirt fell as she did so, the whispering of fabric as it dropped, inch by inch, the only sound in the room.

She stepped out of her underwear, the sound of her heels clicking on the tiles almost too loud in the near silence. Hades held out his hand, expectant, and she placed them in his palm, before stepping back and smoothing her skirt to quell the faint tremble in her fingers. “Perfect,” he said approvingly, inspecting them for a moment longer, before tucking them away in his trouser pocket. The sight of the lacy garment disappearing, strangely, made her feel more exposed than the initial act of taking them off. Kore bit down on the urge to crack a joke, to deflect from this vulnerability, instead crossing the floor between them in two small steps and kissing him feverishly. She melted into him, revelling in his touch. This silly game of exchanging possessions for ‘balance’ meant something, she knew it.


	14. Familiarisation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Ellis for her skills in the beta department - let it be known that all that I am is indebted to her excellence. c:

There were many changes for Kore in recent months, however, one thing had remained utterly constant: she loathed mornings. Moaning pitifully as the shrill sounds of her alarm mocked her from her nightstand, she reached for compassionate quiet. Blinking blearily, she threw out a hand and silenced the thing, before wriggling back down into her bed, the luxuriant warmth too enticing to relinquish just yet.

And she’d been having such a pleasant dream, too. The more that she sought to remember the events, the swifter they faded, elusively slipping through her grasp like grains of sand. But the restless, tingling sensations lingered, even as their origins were lost to her unwilling wakefulness. 

Kore slipped her hand underneath her pillows, seeking out a change in fabric -  _ ah yes, there. _ Her fingers closed around the soft cashmere, drawing it close to her. The item of precious clothing now in her possession, the very one that reminded her of her lover, and an afternoon where he had seemingly allowed himself to be more intimate with her than in any of their previous sexual dalliances. She fingered the hem of the sweater idly, enjoying the pass of the delicate knit between her fingertips, before sitting up, and pulling it over her head impulsively.

The item had been hers for weeks now, so it was foolish of her to expect that there would be any lingering scent belonging to Hades in the fibers. But yet, there was something innately provoking about the soft sweep of the tightly knit fabric across her skin, and her body responded to it. A reaction and manner not too dissimilar to how she would respond to the pass of  _ his _ hands over her body, she thought, as her nipples hardened against the caress of the cashmere.

Her hands slid between her thighs as she shifted in bed, inching her legs apart. Kore knew she was beautiful, desirable, and knew how to work her beauty to her advantage. Her eyes closed as she painted herself a picture of her desire, sat in a high-backed armchair opposite the bed, watching, instructing. The thought of her lover encouraging her to perform for him, his eyes locked between her spread legs, ignited heady passion within her and stoked the embers of desire lingering from her dream, smouldering deep in her core. She worked an exploratory finger inside herself, marvelling at the slick heat of her own sex, and wondering what exactly he would say in response. Something complimentary of course, about how ready she was for him, no doubt. Kore thrived on his praise, a fact that he had seemingly filed away to draw upon effortlessly in their trysts, and she exhaled a shivery sigh as she slid another finger inside herself and crooked them, seeking out that delicious spot within her that promised such pleasurable release. She wanted more, her passion demanding and ravenous. 

With her left hand, she reached blindly into the drawer of her nightstand, the cool length of the dildo meeting her fingers and sending a frisson of arousal through her. She would make this a  _ good one _ , she decided, withdrawing her fingers from herself and sliding the length of the toy along the silken wetness of her entrance. The temperature difference between her body and the thick, long toy coaxed a tiny, mewling gasp from her, and she worked the blunt head of the instrument inside her. She hummed a hoarse note that sounded filthy even to her own ears; a small wicked smile growing across her lips. She purposefully stretched her inner walls to accommodate and encompass the girth of the toy, and as she seated it deep within her, the nudge of it at her cervix sent a jolt of breathlessness surging through her body. This overwhelming sensation, almost painful in its intrusion deep into her body, and all the more exciting for it. She worked it in and out of her, slippery fingers grasping and twisting the base, and imagined that the soft kisses of cashmere against her skin were the touches of her Dominant, his throaty commands tinged with desire. Would he prefer to watch her fuck herself with the toy, issuing instructions from his seat at the foot of the bed, forcing her to put on a show for him as he stroked himself greedily. Or would he join her instead, bundle her up close to his chest and take control, reaching around from behind her to cover her hand at the base of the dildo with his own?

Or would he perhaps instruct her to stop, just as she crept close to the verge of her orgasm? The sweat beaded on her skin, the warmth of it heavy and close where it collected in her hair at the nape of her neck. She experimentally let go of the toy, feeling her walls clench around it, protesting the lack of movement, her thighs trembling in anticipation.  _ Oh yes, he would most certainly enjoy that _ , she thought, as her stuttering grasp translated into the toy twitching forlornly against her fingertips.

She rolled onto her front, pressing her face into her forearms, inhaling deeply into the cashmere as she wriggled herself into a position where she was able to work an arm between her torso and the mattress to grasp the base of the toy and grind against it. She plunged it into her on every roll of her hips, too much and not enough simultaneously. As she fucked herself, stuttering little cries, whispering words of encouragement that she imagined he might say into the shell of her ear. Before she truly recognised the sensation she was coming, violently hard, the dildo slipping from within her as she shuddered and panted into her pillows, clammy with perspiration.

Rolling onto her back and gasping for breath, she threw out an arm across her bed, patting around until she unearthed her cell from its hiding place, nestled in a fold in her covers. She swiped away on various notifications, throwing some cursory responses into the group chat and scrolling through Nymphstagram, waiting expectantly for what she knew would come.

Her cell phone buzzed in her hand, and she smiled triumphantly. She left the message waiting in her inbox for a minute or two, before opening it to discover a photo of a huge, jet black dog, covered in crumbs and powdered sugar, gazing beseechingly up into the lens. Accompanying the photo, a caption:

**Hades << ** **_According to Cerberus, the most effective way to ensure the safety of my breakfast this morning was to eat it himself. My back was turned for less than thirty seconds while I answered the phone! I was looking forward to that danish, too._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> !!! Good morning, sweet boy!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades >> Good morning?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << I went for a run with the dogs before work, and I’ve already been in my office for an hour. And you’re texting me now with ‘good morning?’ Outrageous._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> Excuse u, it's not even 8am yet!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> and I was telling Cerberus good morning, not you_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Insolent._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> lol! Me or him?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << I hardly think the distinction matters, truthfully._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> lolllllll. But you work too hard_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << A realm doesn’t run itself, sweetness - I have to work hard. Unlike some shirkers I know._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> Seriously?! You’re just jealous that you’re not still in bed with me tbh_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Perhaps._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Being able to visualise the scene would help me to make up my mind, I’m sure._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> I live to serve lmao_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore_ ** _ sent a photo. _ **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Just as I suspected. Beautiful._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Wearing my sweater?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> You mean my sweater actually. You told me so_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << That I did. It looks lovely on you._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Don’t expect me to return the favour with a photo of me in your panties, however..._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> You mean your panties Hades. lmao_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> That’s an image tho 👀_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> I gotta get up or ill be late for class. Go do some king stuff._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Hey. Who gives the orders around here?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << But regardless, you have a point. Kingly duties beckon, et cetera._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << And I have no doubt I will hear from you before long. Enjoy class._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> <3_ **

***

The morning passed unremarkably, save for her last class of the day, Biochemistry. Much to her chagrin, the class that she had missed the week prior had been integral to this week’s lab, and cribbing from her lab partner’s notes could only do so much. She cursed under her breath as her partner - a centaur whose name constantly escaped her - said her goodbyes, shooting a critical look over her shoulder as she left the room. Her absence had been unavoidable; however, and the shame of playing catch up was minor in contrast to the benefits that the reasons for her absence would have. She smiled, slowly, before a voice calling her name ripped her from her reverie. Looking up to her professor, who affixed her with a pointed look, “Kore? A word?”

“Sure.” She smiled easily, gathering up her things and sliding them into her messenger bag, slinging it over her shoulder.

“Could we walk and talk? I’m across the quad for my next class," she offered. 

“Of course,” she agreed, anxiety clutching at her gut as she followed the naiad out into the hallway. “But, before you say anything, I just want to apologise in person for my absence, Professor Thalassofi. I know I emailed you, but every class counts this year.”

The woman smiled over her shoulder. “That’s not why I asked to speak with you, although I do appreciate it.” She waited until they were level to speak again. “I wanted to tell you that you’ve been a topic of conversation in the faculty in the last couple of months.”

“Oh,” she said, cautiously.

“Don’t worry,” her professor soothed, “The conversation has been all good things. I wanted to tell you how impressed we all are with your dedication to your studies. I worry when students are in the position that you’re in - morning classes and afternoon internship hours seems like an awfully heavy burden for your final year of studies - but I think it’s important to let you know that your hard work hasn’t been overlooked.” She smiled again, nudging her gently. “Well done. You’ve always been an impressive student, but this practical experience seems to have brought out the best in you.”

She blushed, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks as she tried not to grin like an idiot. “Thanks, Professor. That means a lot to me.” 

She shrugged easily, tucking her asymmetrical bob behind her ear fin. “I don’t believe in being sparing with praise. You’re doing well, and you deserve to be told so. So, how is the Underworld, anyway? I believe that you were afforded something of a prestigious placement in contrast to what interns usually receive.”

“Uh, I don’t know what other people get,” she said, embarrassed. “I mean, the Queen probably pulled a bunch of strings, but I didn’t ask for special treatment, I swear it.”

The professor laughed merrily. “It’s not what you know, sometimes, I’m afraid - it’s who. You’re a goddess, with ties to the Royals: of course you were given preferential treatment. That’s not a mark against you, as far as I’m concerned. Come on then, enlighten me. I don’t spend much time in the great Downstairs myself, I prefer this warmer climate, but I hear good things about the scientific work being done in your department.”

“Oh, it’s really cool! I do a lot of data entry and typing up of others’ notes; honestly, but I also get to spend time in the mortal realm helping out with the grunt work on one of the current projects. We’re looking at an unknown cause of water toxicity in a lake to the north of the realm.”

“I’ve heard about that from one of my cousins, actually. It’s Pamvotis, right?”

She shrugged. “It’s near Ioannina?”

The professor nodded. “Yes, that would be the place. We tend to navigate by the bodies of water, unsurprisingly.” She winked, the motion making the tiny iridescent scales around her eyes glisten in the sunlight as they emerged onto the quad. “But progress on the solution is slow, I hear.”

Kore grimaced, guilty by association. “I’m afraid so, yeah. One of my supervisors has been uncovering really interesting stuff about the parapathology of the local nymphs and the lake itself, though.”

The naiad raised her eyebrows, intrigued. “How interesting. I presume that he’s attempting to identify the reasons why we respond in the way that we do in response to the defiling of our home lakes?”

She gave her assent. “The naiads on the team are saying that it’s really cutting edge stuff.”

“They’d be right!” she agreed, warmly. “Kore, would you give your supervisor my card? If he’s interested, I could put him in touch with a colleague’s doctoral student who has been investigating the metaphysical link between dryads and their home tree locations. They may find their separate avenues of research mutually beneficial.” She dug in her lab coat pocket for a business card, and extended it to Kore between two fingers. She took it.

“I’m actually on site later - I’ll see what he says.”

“Thank you, dear. I won’t keep you,” she said, taking her leave.

***

**_Kore >> weird question_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> theres no animosity between natural disasters and the research department at my college is there_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Not that I know of. What makes you ask?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> my biochem prof wants me to network for her_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << The nice one?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> yeah!! She says she knows a doctoral student who would be interested in the lake project. Do you think it’s an overstep as a lowly intern if I do it?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Now, we both know you’re not just a ‘lowly intern,’ Kore._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << But I’m not sure. Depends what she’s asking of you._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> just to give her card to Symios. Thats nbd, right?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << He’ll be fine with that. Just act as if you’ve been talking up his research._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> well i kinda was lol_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Was she upset that you missed your class?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> no, i already emailed her to apologise and I got the notes to catch up_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> my partner thinks i’m a dick tho_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << You forgot her name again, didn’t you_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> why do you have to call me out like this._ **

_ *** _

“Officer!” a familiar voice yelled from behind her. “There she is, officer! That’s her!”

She screamed, all mock outrage. “Hermes! When are you gonna stop doing that?” Curious heads rolled their eyes and turned away, this behaviour clearly nothing new in the Underworld.

He slung an arm over her shoulder, all easy camaraderie. “When it stops being funny. So, probably never?”

Kore groaned, attempting to sling his arm off. “You know, sometimes immortality is a curse. Knowing I have thousands of years ahead of me with you pulling the same stunts? It’s enough to drive a girl to the brink.” 

He shook off the insult with ease. ”I’m delightful.” She scowled, but there was no venom in it. He continued. “It’s been years since we’ve seen you, little K - where have you been?” His arm around her shoulders tightened, and she neatly ducked out of his headlock, avoiding the ruffling of her pretty pixie cut she knew he was aiming for.

She scoffed. “Years? It’s been about two months! I’m in my last year at college, it’s busy. I’m swamped.”

Hermes, not to be dissuaded, batted his long lashes at her. “Well, you’re not at school now. We could go and hang out, put some of those plant-growing powers to good use.” 

Groaning, she pushed him away. “There’s a dozen reasons why it’s a no. One: you’re at work!” He shrugged expressively. “Two:  _ I’m _ at work in about ten minutes, or I was, before you leapt on me in the street. And three: Ask Antheia to grow you weed, I told you last time, my mom kicked my ass. I stank of it for a fortnight!”

He shrugged again. “It was worth a shot. You work now?”

“Yeah! I have to get my internship credits before I’m allowed to graduate, and I left it all to the last minute. I’m in Natural Disasters at Underworld Corp.” She waved ahead of them, in the direction of the four skyscrapers they were walking towards. They towered above the sprawl of the brightly lit streets, foreboding and beautiful.

“Hey, work buddies!” He grinned. “We should see if our schedules match up, I could fly you in. Beats getting the train, right?”

She matched his grin, raising herself from the floor a little, no more than 6 inches. “No need.”

“Nice!” He stretched out the word, his eyes travelling up and down her figure. “And the flying is neat, too.” 

Kore dramatically scrunched her eyes closed, sighing happily, and just as she expected, he took the bait. 

“What, what’s that look for?”

“Oh, I’m just having a very pleasant daydream where I don’t know you,” she responded sweetly.

“K, please. You’ll never be rid of me,” he declared, the tone of triumph in his voice. “I know too much about you.” He winked at her conspiratorially. Kore reached for him, as if to press a hand to his cheek, and instead, yanked on his hair, hard. He yelped. She grinned.

“Well, at least I’ll get some respite today.  _ I’m _ going to the mortal realm, and clearly, you’re not dressed for the occasion.” She pulled a face, flicking a mark on his shirt. “You’re not dressed for any occasion, by the looks of things.”

“Hey!” he protested. “I spilled my lunch!”

“You surprise me,” she responded drily, filling her voice with theatrical disgust.

“”What makes you think you won’t see me in the mortal realm, anyways?” he asked. “I’m an important kind of guy down there, on account of how often my business takes me there. You know - messages to deliver, souls to collect. I’m like a God to them.” He grinned.

“I’m not dignifying that with a response,” Kore said archly. “But, there’s basically no mortals near Pamvotis right now. It’s not a fun place to be if you rely on the lake for anything at all.”

He paused, frowning, suddenly serious. “Where?”

“Ah, so you’re not as familiar with the mortal realm as you claim,” she teased, laughing openly at his affronted expression as they scanned their ID badges at the entrance to Tower Block One. Hermes greeted the security guard as an old friend, and he returned the greeting with enthusiasm. Kore, he was less than enthusiastic to see - clearly, their prior interaction had not escaped his memory.

“There’s not an inch of that place I don’t know,” he declared, shoving the lanyard back into the pocket of his sweatpants.

“Right. If you’re so full of insight, maybe  _ you _ could shed some light on why it is that the lake is slowly poisoning its symbionts, but seemingly leaving all of the shoreline flora unimpacted?” 

A strange look passed over his face, before fixing itself into a more natural expression of bewilderment. “Say what about killing what?”

“Ah! See? You’re absolutely no help. Shoo - I’ll be late if I don’t go and get changed right now. See you later!” She reached up and wrapped her arms around his broad chest, squeezing tightly just for a second, before dashing off before he could make some sordid comment about helping her with her robes. Some things never change, she reflected, ducking under the arm of a cyclops and squeezing into the elevator before the doors closed. 

Hermes’ wild, hunted look dissipated from her thoughts like the wisps of a dream, too peculiar to hold on to for long.

***

**_Hades << I hope your day is moving more quickly than mine. I’m in a conference call with my brother and wondering whether death by red stapler would be preferable._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> Fake an emergency lol_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << I wish. I did that last week, remember?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> lmaoooo yeah_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> Has he asked about it yet_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Not a single word. You’d really think he would, wouldn’t you?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> I still can’t believe you got away with it_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << You’re forgetting something_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << ‘The Lethe is on fire’ only sounds like an outrageous lie if you know the Lethe is a river, and Zeus knows little to nothing about the geography of any realm, including his own_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> I can believe it tbh_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> Isn’t he gonna call you out for just saying ‘hmm yeah agreed’ at some point_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << You underestimate my ability to multitask!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> Well you’re overestimating mine! I’ve gotta go hang out in the mortal realm, remember_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> Im just standing at the gate texting you lmao. I know you have to go to dinner at the palace tonight but can I call you later?_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << Ah, the shirker is on form._ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore >> !!! It’s your fault!_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Hades << I’ll call you when I get home, little flower. 🌸_ **

***

Her phone vibrated itself from her bedroom desk before she could snatch it up. It buzzed merrily in the thick pile rug, and she hurriedly retrieved it. She pinned it to her ear with her shoulder.

“I was wondering how long I’d have to wait before you deigned to call me,” she teased.

“Oh, were you, my dear?” an equally teasing voice replied - not the voice she had anticipated.

“Hera! Shit - I mean - your Majesty!” Kore said, startled. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking at my cell when I answered it - I was expecting you to be someone else.”

The queen’s pretty, tinkling laugh alleviated a little tension in her. “Oh,  _ reeeeally _ ? I thought that might be the case. It’s been so long since we caught up, Kore, dear - do you mind if I pop over for a quick visit?”

She cast a guilty glance around the chaos of her bedroom. “What, to my room?”

“No, I presumed you’d rather the moon,” came the sly response. “I suppose you’re wondering whether I’ll be disgusted by the pit you keep your bedroom in. As long as there’s somewhere clear for me to sit, my dear, I won’t judge you too harshly.”

“Okay, yeah, sure,” Kore replied, hurriedly shifting a pile of clothes onto her bed and throwing her screen across the room. Hera materialized before her, still holding her cellphone in her hand, and gripping two champagne flutes in the other. The bottle was carefully tucked under her arm.

“I presumed that since this is a private house call, and anything I ask your staff to do will get reported back to your mother, I ought to provide my own refreshments,” Hera explained, her voice echoing tinnily from the phone still pressed to Kore’s ear. “You can hang up now, darling,” she teased, seating herself in one of the plush mauve armchairs under the window. Hera kicked her heels off and curled her feet up underneath her, immediately and flawlessly at home in the space. Kore hovered guiltily, her eyes flitting around the room, alighting on every aspect that she knew could come under critique. Hera gestured for Kore to sit, and she did so, perching on the edge of the opposite placed armchair, clearly ill at ease. 

“I see you still haven’t been given your own office,” Hera sniffed. “This space is serviceable, but it’s still your bedroom. Although, I find it’s hardly a fitting way for the daughter of one of the Six Traitors to receive company. Here.” She sighed, and drew the tips of her fingers together in a clasping motion. All around them, the air shuddered, the light bending around them in such a way as to obscure the rest of the room beyond their small sitting area. It was light and airy within the space, the remainder of the room simply shrouded beyond an oily, shimmering layer, as if they were encapsulated within a soap bubble.

“Um, wow,” Kore breathed, impressed. She reached out to touch the wall, and Hera gave a sharp, warning sound.

“Don’t touch, Kore. It’s only a cursory illusion - it’ll disappear the moment you touch it. But, to tell you the truth, you needn’t be so concerned about me seeing your bedroom,” she sniffed. “I’ve seen - and smelled - Ares’ room, so a few errant items of clothing and cosmetics don’t have the power to shock me that you might imagine.”

“Can you teach me to do it?” Kore asked, dodging the point. Hera had already hit on the problem precisely, she  _ knew _ why it was an indignity.

Hera hummed. “Maybe. It all depends on what you grow up to become. Illusion may never be your strong suit.”

“I’m pretty good at hiding things,” Kore muttered tartly.

“Only from those that don’t want to see. And I most certainly  _ do _ want to see.” Hera leaned forward and picked up the bottle. “Champagne?”

Kore frowned, struggling to pick up on Hera’s implication. “Are we celebrating?”

“Is celebrating necessary?” she quipped, working the cork from the bottle with a muffled  _ pop _ and setting it on the low table between them. She poured out a liberal measure into two glasses, and handed one to Kore, who accepted it gladly.

“Well, regardless - cheers,” Kore volunteered, raising her glass before taking a big mouthful. She had a feeling she was going to need it.

“So you’re not pregnant,” Hera mused. “That’s a relief.” Kore immediately regretted taking such a large mouthful, knowing how poorly her companion would respond to being covered in a fine misting of (doubtless very expensive) champagne.

“Uh, what?” she huffed, aiming for an airy, nonchalant laugh, but only managing a strangled gasping noise. 

“It’s quite simple, dear. It’s been years since we extended the invitation to Demeter’s household to avail yourselves of the court physician, and yet, this is the first time that you’ve chosen to do so. Presumably because you wanted to ensure that word wouldn’t get back to your mother about your visit, am I correct?”

Kore nodded, feeling squeamish and faint.

“And you seem well in yourself, not that the doctor would give up any details when I pressed her for information,” she continued airily, “apparently some  _ oath _ she took prohibits her from telling me. Thus, coming to the source seemed apt - so here I am!” She spread her hands in a little flourish and gave Kore a charming smile.

Kore drained her glass.

Resting her chin in her hands, Hera gave her a searching look, her eyes deep and imploring. “Will you really make me guess?”

She pressed her hands against her burning cheeks, covering her eyes with her fingers. “Will you command me to tell you?”

“Hmm. No. Actually, it’s more fun this way,” she declared, smiling beatifically. “So, if I were a beautiful young creature in my early twenties, adored and pursued by all who surround me, what would I be visiting a private doctor for?” She paused, letting the question dangle ominously overhead. She observed Kore closely, who peered out at her from between her fingers. “Allow me to continue in your shoes for a moment longer, if you please. I’ve nearly come to my point. So - considering the attitudes of my mother, whom I love very dearly, but find just the tiniest bit overbearing - whatever it is, I clearly don’t want her to find out. So, a concerned outsider - me, you understand - can only presume it’s something to do with sex.” Kore cringed and stiffened. “Oh, don’t be a prude, Kore. If you’re going to  _ do _ it, you ought to be able to  _ hear _ it. Anyway, am I along the right lines?”

She nodded again slowly, wondering if it truly were possible to die of shame.

“Wonderful. So you’re not pregnant, since you readily accepted my offering of an alcoholic drink - a good choice, by the way, this is a _most_ _excellent_ vintage - then there are two other likely options. For one, there is the potential that you needed medication for an ailment of a particularly intimate form.”

Kore couldn’t help but pull a face. “Ew. No.”

“And that leads me to my final, most likely presumption: you wanted birth control.”

She shrugged, attempting to channel some of the cool, unconcerned energy that Hades exuded from every inch of his being. “And if that were the case, it would be between me and whoever it was that I happened to be involved with, wouldn’t it?”

Hera leaned forward, refilling Kore’s glass and topping up her own. “If that  _ were _ the case, then that would inform me that your involvement with this man is more serious than is perhaps publicly known.”

“Well, if I were involved with someone, I imagine he would be a more private person than you’d think.”

Hera quirked a brow. “Kore, when you’ve known someone for a length of time in excess of two thousand years, you learn just how private a person can be.” 

Kore stared at Hera, her mouth slightly hanging open, a horrified little laugh bubbling up despite herself. “You know.” Hera inclined her head gracefully, spreading her fingers in a little gesture of agreement. “You know, and you put me through all of that, to tell me that you know. You’re the worst!” Kore glowered at her, before sighing, settling in, and letting her head roll back against the back of her chair.

They sat in silence for a moment, before Hera quietly cleared her throat, preparing to ask a question.

“Didn’t you think you could tell me?” Her voice was gentle.

“I haven’t told anyone.” And it was true, wasn’t it? All that the majority of her friends knew was that she wasn’t interested in meeting anyone; Eros knew that she had  _ a Dominant _ and had been sworn to secrecy over it.

“Has he asked you to keep your relationship a secret?” Hera asked, frowning over the top of her champagne flute. “I don’t know how I’d feel if that were the case.”

“We’re not in a relationship,” Kore scoffed. “He’s not my  _ boyfriend _ or anything.”

Now both of Hera’s brows were raised. “And yet the two of you are exclusive, and apparently at the point where you’re considering having unprotected sex with him.” Again, Kore cringed.

“Please, Hera - it’s like talking to my mom about sex.” At Hera’s affronted look, she modified her statement slightly. “Uh, I don’t mean that you’re like  _ my _ mom, but - ugh, you know what I mean. This is so embarrassing.”

“Well, you’re fucking a man older than I am, darling, I think we can talk candidly about sex, don’t you?”

“Fates,  _ don’t! _ The age gap is weird, we try not to talk about it.” Kore grimaced, and Hera seemingly accepted that as a response. Not to be derailed from her original point, she pressed on.

“You’re not in a relationship. But you’re making quite a significant step. What do you get from this? You have to understand, I’m not looking for the gory details.” It was Hera’s turn to grimace. “I just want to be sure that he’s not exploiting you.”

Kore blanched. “Exploiting me? What do you mean?”

“Dear. Try to see things from my perspective. I’ve discovered that a young woman - my niece, in all but name - is involved with a man many years her senior, in a position of incredible wealth, influence, and lest we fail to acknowledge the most important part: royal power. She’s young, inexperienced, perhaps a little quicker to act than she is to think things through. They have begun having -  _ sleeping together, _ with seemingly no promise of a relationship or a deeper commitment.”

“Okay,” she accepted, “I can see how it looks bad. But -”

“Kore, if this comes out in the press, and he decides it’s too damaging to his reputation to continue with your relationship, where does that leave you? You stand to lose more than he does, it’s always the way with men and women in the public eye, especially when it comes to powerful men.” Hera reached across the table to rest her hand on Kore’s forearm. “I’m worried for you, and I want you to explain to me why I don’t need to be.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, because I’m an adult and I can make my own decisions, Hera,” Kore responded hotly. “I know there’s been talk of marital matches for me in the papers; if you’re worried about how this will affect  _ your _ reputation, then -”

“I said nothing about my reputation, you silly girl!” Hera snapped, raising her voice. “I am here, having this  _ very awkward _ conversation with you because I love you and I want you to be safe!”

“I  _ am _ safe!”

“How can I trust that?” The question rang like an accusation and Kore folded her arms against it, sitting back stiffly in her chair. Hera softened, recognising the misstep, and reached out to place a hand on Kore’s knee. Her voice was placatory as she repeated her question. “I want to trust that, I do. But  _ how _ ?”

Kore looked down at her lap, worrying her lip. “Love you too, by the way.” Hera squeezed her knee, and the tension between them eased marginally. She unfolded her arms, rubbing the fingertips of one hand between the fingers and thumb of the other. She composed herself, drawing on a little of the contrary energy she exuded in public. She smirked as she spoke again: “And to answer your question: when have you ever known me to do something that I  _ really _ didn’t want to do?”

“Ugh. Now for the hideously uncomfortable part - I apologise in advance.” Hera closed her eyes and drained her own glass, inhaling deeply before speaking again. “Look...When you have known someone for as long as he and I have known each other, you learn all sorts of things about one another. Personal things, if you catch my drift. What I’m saying is that I’m aware of his  _ proclivities. _ My brother-in-law can be very...convincing.”

“Oh. That’s true.” Kore noted that Hera was inspecting her fingernails in a very studied manner, in an effort to avoid looking at her. This conversation really  _ was _ uncomfortable for her, she realised.

“Now, I presume that’s what you mean when you say that you’re involved, but he’s not your boyfriend, and the less details I have about that, the less images will haunt me.”

“Absolutely. No gory details,” Kore agreed with great gusto. 

“I just don’t understand why...” Hera paused, shaping her thoughts. “What I’m trying to say, Kore, is that I don’t see how you benefit. I see a man who tends towards a kind of pleasure that I simply don’t understand, and I see... _ you _ .”

“I do benefit. Really, I do. In all kinds of ways, not just...you know. Sex.” She winced, and Hera rolled her eyes indulgently. “He’s intelligent, and thoughtful, and funny - we get along really well. We’re friends.”

“I don’t find that surprising. He can be very personable, when it suits him. He hasn’t always been standoffish and stuffy.”

“But - that’s not it,” she protested. “It’s not about being standoffish. It’s about being in control.”

“I’m sure you’ll forgive me for not finding that particularly reassuring.” Hera tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear, a difficult to read expression passing across her face.

Kore sighed, throwing her head back against the low back of the armchair. “I’m explaining this all wrong and I’m making it worse.”

“Take your time.”

“Okay - let’s try it like this: you know me.”

“I should say so.” Hera inclined her head slightly, smiling.

“You know my reputation - what people think of me. I’m wild, out of control, I’m disobedient and spoiled and intentionally pushing back against what I was born to be, according to most of Olympus.”

Hera stopped smiling. “We know there’s more to you than -”

“That’s not the point. That’s what I’ve been leaning into since I was about sixteen, right? In public, anyway. And it’s not as if it’s not mostly true. I get everything I want, and if I really am meant to be Kore forever, like my mother says I am, I’ve got my work cut out for me - like, it’s pretty ironic for someone like me to literally be named  _ the girl, the maiden _ or whatever.”

Pressing her lips together in a thin line, Hera said nothing. She sat, perfectly still, the absence of movement loud and telling, in a troubling way that Kore filed for later.

“Is it really that strange that someone like me would  _ adore _ the opportunity to just...let go of everything, once in a while, to surrender to the instruction of someone else? To someone I trust enough to be vulnerable with?”

Hera paused, letting the information sink in. “I can understand the appeal, objectively, I suppose. But-,” she held out a hand, as if presenting her counter as something physical, “it would make more sense if I’d seen you happily follow an instruction without some form of complaint for even once in these last eight years or so.” Hera raised an eyebrow, giving her a meaningful look. 

Kore shrugged, nonchalant. “I’m not in the habit of making it easy for other people to boss me around. My obedience is a gift.”

Shaking her head, Hera let out a wry little laugh. “You sounded like him for a moment there.” Kore smiled. “Alright, then. Let’s say you’ve convinced me, and the two of you are well suited.” A glint in her eye suggested to Kore that she might have known this all along, and wouldn’t it just be like her to test the waters and make sure for herself? “Why the knee jerk reaction of horror to the idea of being his girlfriend?”

She didn’t know. It wasn’t as if she didn’t feel for him - she certainly did, and powerfully so. She felt it like a beating in her blood, a secret, arcane litany given voice in every breath. Something within her felt a profound connection to something within him, and in the dead of night, in the darkest realm, listening to his quiescent breathing the words  _ fate _ and  _ destiny _ crept up on her, entirely of their own volition. And yet, something gave her pause.

“I’ve stopped aging, you know. We’ve talked about it before. I’ll be nineteen forever. I could live this life a hundred times over and I’ll remain the same.” Kore smiled brightly, knowing how her face would light up - young, innocent, lovely. “We’re happy. We’re exclusive. There’s nothing forcing our hand. Why rush?” She hoped this would be a good enough answer: to reveal a little of what truly held her back, along with the very sensible - if false - desire to take things slowly.

“Ah yes, of course, darling - but  _ why wait?” _ Hera smiled, wide and knowing.

A knock from outside made them both jump, and Kore’s head snapped guiltily to the door, already opening. A blinding light made her scrunch her eyes closed, and when she opened them again, the bubble was gone, and in Hera’s place, a different figure entirely lounged, her long legs slung over the arms of the chair. “My lady Demeter,” Hera said, and inclined her head deferentially, long, unbound hair spilling over her face.

“Artemis, dear girl, what on earth was that?” Demeter took a cautious step forward into the room, clearly taken aback.

“I was just showing Kore a new trick or two,” she said breezily. “I thought it could be useful. For, you know. Hunting and stuff.”

Demeter furrowed her brow. “Quite. Well, dinner is almost ready - I came to get Kore, to come and set the table.”

Kore flushed, her eyes sliding across to where Hera reclined in a body not her own. “Mama, can we get one of the girls to do it? I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Nonsense, Kore. You’ve set the table for fifteen years and there’s never been a problem before.” Demeter waved a hand dismissively. “Come along. Artemis, are you staying for dinner? We’re having prasorizo; I’m sure we can make a space at the table for you.”

“Oh,” Hera-as-Artemis wrinkled her nose slightly. “No, my Lady. Thank you for the offer, but I have somewhere to be. In fact, I ought to take my leave now. Kore, always a pleasure - and just a tip. Forever can be shorter than you think. Kisses!” With that, she whirled on the spot and evaporated, leaving only a shimmer of air in her wake, and Demeter and Kore gaping.

“Is she quite well, Kore?” Demeter managed.

“No - I’m not sure that she’s feeling herself at all,” she replied, staring at the empty seat and half empty flute of champagne. “I’m coming down now, Mama. What did you say you wanted me to do?”

***

**Kore >> Heads up.** **  
** **Kore >> ive just had a lovely afternoon visit from Hera** **  
** **Hades << Oh?** **  
** **Kore >> She knows about us** **  
** **Kore >> She figured it out and grilled me about it** **  
** **Hades << I see.** **  
** **Kore >> Are you mad 😩** **  
** **Hades << With you, little flower? Never.** **  
** **Kore >> That’s very sweet but very not true lol** **  
** **Hades << A fair point - I’ll amend that: hardly ever. But certainly not in this situation.** **  
** **Hades << Are you alright? A meeting with Hera can be intense.** **  
** **Kore >> Yeah im ok. Feeling a little rattled tho** **  
** **Hades << That won’t do. Come over tonight.** **  
** **Kore >> i thought you had that thing at the palace tonight??** **  
** **Hades << Well, now I have a more urgent thing at home.** **  
** **Hades << I’ll see you soon.** ****  
  



	15. The Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I'm indebted to the inimitable Ellis for her insight and editing. Thank you a hundred times over.
> 
> And thank you to all of *you* wonderful readers, for enjoying this story as much as I am. I love hearing how enthusiastic you are over on the Discord server and in the comments. It makes my day to hear from you. <3

#  Chapter 15 - The Name

**_From:_ ** [ **_lachesis@underworld.org_ ** **_  
_ ** ](mailto:lachesis@underworld.org) **_To:_ ** [ **_hecate@underworld.org_ ** **_  
_ ** ](mailto:hecate@underworld.org) **_CC: atropos@underworld.org; clotho@underworld.org_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Subject: Enquiry - Staff Database Accuracy_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Body:_ **

**_Cousin!_ **

**_We hope this message finds you well. It has been a while since we last saw you in our department - but time is a slippery construct to us. Perhaps we are mistaken... Alas - we digress._ **

**_You know that we prefer to remain predominantly uninvolved in day to day affairs, but we have an enquiry to make. There is a new member of staff who was added to the staff database some three months ago: a ‘Kore.’ A sweet girl, but we were curious: why do all of her official files erroneously name her by a secondary epithet? This is not the name we advised her mother of upon her birth, and not the name that mortals know her by. Or will come to know her by - the exact chronology evades us currently. When are we again?_ **

**_Regardless - come visit soon!_ **

**_L_ **

“Your Majesty,” Hecate said, “this is unusual at best, and deeply troubling at worst.”

Hades frowned, rereading the email. He flicked the paper printout across his desk, irritated. “How has this happened? I’m not even sure that Kore is aware of this. And couldn’t you have just forwarded this? It literally asks at the bottom of the message ‘ _ Do you need to print this email? _ ,’ Hecate, you know that reducing our overheads on excess printing have been a company target this quarter.”

She shrugged. “What can I say? I’m an old fashioned girl. I like the feeling of paper between my fingers.” Her eyes flashed with amusement as Hades rolled his eyes in reply. “But I think there are bigger issues at hand, far beyond the miniscule costs of printing a single email - one that I have purged from our email server, might I add - to discuss the matter with you -  _ ahem _ \- discreetly. Now, you said that you don’t think Kore knows that she’s walking around misnamed?”

“Yes. She mentioned to me in passing that she only has one name.”

“How interesting. When?”

He handed the paper back to her. “Some time around her hiring - I don’t recall precisely when.”

Hecate arched one immaculate eyebrow, narrowing her gaze and perching atop the edge of his desk. “It’s unlike you to confer with the interns beyond their initial introduction interview - even those rare few affixed with a royal memo from Her Olympian Highness. And even then, you usually palm those interviews off.”

“Usually, our intern applicants are far less remarkable than the only daughter of Demeter herself.” Even as he spoke the words, he recognised the truth weaved between them - a private truth, one that he had intended to thread neatly along the underside of this particular picture, important, integral, but unseen. Hades pressed his lips together, averting his eyes. If he waited to see recognition in her, that would speak as loudly as his words.

But Hecate, being Hecate, gave him a long, measured look. She quietly observed him, a familiar warmth illuminating her face. Sometimes, Hades wondered - if - in a different world, he would have confided more in his oldest friend. If there were some alternate dimension out there where he would welcome the camaraderie that she patiently offers to him, again and again. 

“Admittedly,” she agreed. The deeply interested gaze with which she examined him, however, indicated that this was a mercy on her part, and the attention that he paid to Kore had not gone unnoticed. “Regardless, this is concerning. Kore is Olympus nobility, after a fashion. Demeter must know that to deny the girl her name is to deny her the purpose that the fates bestowed upon her at her birth.”

“Implying that her unknown moniker is something unpalatable to the Goddess of the Harvest,” he said, continuing her train of thought. They contemplated each other wordlessly for a moment, Hades arching back in his office chair and steeling his gaze, Hecate rising from the edge of the desk and pacing one or two steps. The click of her heels across the tiles punctuated his thoughts. She lowered herself onto the couch, throwing her long legs atop the coffee table without a moment’s thought, scanning the paper again.

“Would Demeter really do that? To a well beloved daughter, no less? You have more to do with the Olympian cohort than I - Could she be willing to reduce her daughter to being  _ the maiden _ forever?” Hecate frowned, smoothing out the lines of her blazer, picking at an imagined speck of dust at her cuff.

“I believe that outcome would be incredibly likely,” he replied darkly. Secrets Kore disclosed to him - the unrealised power thrumming through every fibre of her being - these blocks: were, one by one slotting into place, forming an overall picture of Kore’s upbringing that he did not much like the looks of. “What could that do to a God? To live without the true knowledge of who you are meant to be? A destiny arrested?”

“It’s hard to say. I’ve never heard of it happening before. It does, however, pose a compelling epistemological question, though - can one manifest their divine purpose if they don’t have the words to express it?” Hecate mused on this for a moment, reaching up idly to adjust an errant strand of hair that had fallen from its rightful place.

“That would be an interesting question, no doubt, were it purely intellectual.”

“You have no appreciation for chaos, Hades,” Hecate sniffed. 

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I find myself somewhat concerned for the girl - and for the potential fallout. We have to make Kore aware of this -”

“Well then, find her” Hecate gestured to him, a careless flick of her fingers. “You know where she is, surely? Summon her here.”

He congratulated himself internally on reaching for his desk phone, rather than drawing his cell from his pocket. Dialling the number for Natural Disasters, an unpleasantly familiar voice answered the phone.

“Your Highness,” she purred.

“Minthe,” he responded coolly. Hecate’s face expressed her thoughts on this plainly, and he chose to ignore it, continuing his conversation. “Is the intern around?”

“That depends. Highness, Am I still in trouble?” She pitched her voice low and provocative, and he grimaced. Bizarre, he thought, how a sound he found once so alluring, could now be so repugnant.

“You have faced no disciplinary action, Minthe - yet. Where is she?” He chilled his own voice by a degree or two.

He could practically hear her simultaneous deflating and pouting from the other end of the line. “Why are you so interested in her? She’s not even your type. I’m sure whatever you need her for, I could be of much more direct and informed assistance…”

“Go find the intern Kore and tell her that she is required in my office. We have some documentation that Hecate and I need to discuss with her. See that you do it with at least some degree of professionalism. Continued insubordination will result in my advising you to consider alternate avenues of employment, Miss Cocytos.” He slammed the phone back into the receiver and exhaled - slowly, deliberately.

“Pointless?”” Hecate asked, her voice bright and cheery. 

“Worse than pointless.”

She looked longingly across at Hades, and he rolled his eyes, an unwilling grin creeping into his expression. “Please. Your Majesty. Hades. Let me fire her.” Glee danced just behind her eyes, and for the briefest moment, Hades considered it.

“Hmm - not today, I’m afraid. I’ll go and fetch Kore myself.”

Hecate frowned. “Might some consider that overkill? It’s not as if it’s an especially urgent matter. She’s gone this many years without knowing, another hour or so won’t plunge the girl headfirst into disaster.” She shook her head as he rose from his chair. “Nevertheless, we go, it seems.”

***

“Hey - Miss, uh…” Minthe waved at Kore as she strolled back into the Natural Disasters department, laden down with photocopied memos and the monthly newsletter. (She wasn’t mentioned in it, much to her chagrin. She’d already checked.)

“Aphrodite, Goddess of beauty,” she answered gaily. Minthe scowled. “No? Oh, sorry. Let me try again. I’m Eros.” The nymph cast her eyes skywards, clearly unentertained. Kore leaned against her desk. “Still not got it?” She sighed, the picture of melancholy. “Well, then - who am I?”

“Miss… Ah. Kore. The intern, right?” Minthe batted her long lashes once, twice, rattled, but not for long. 

Kore smiled, delighted. “That’s me!” She let her smile shift into something more encouraging. “I knew you knew. Good job!” Minthe flushed, an angry mottled burgundy ruddying her cheeks. “What did you need me for?”

She ran a hand through her long, sleek hair, admiring the way the ends curled between her fingertips. All for show, and so  _ so _ pompous. Kore wondered idly if her own actions ever looked so affected. “The boss man called. He wants you in his office.”

Her smirk stilled on her lips. He hadn’t sent her a text message. What did he need her for? The way that her expression froze, even for the tiniest fraction of a second, would not go unnoticed by Minthe, she knew. She’d have to distract her. 

“Me in his office?” she asked, eyes wide.

“That’s what he said when he called me,” Minthe replied, satisfaction flooding her features as she lifted a coffee cup to her curling lips.

“Oh…if he wants me personally, it must be serious, right?” Minthe nodded gravely, attempting a feigned pitying look. Kore paused, fiddling with the corner of the stack of papers she held for a moment or two, before curling her tongue behind her teeth and looking up from under her lashes. “Do you think he wants me over the desk, or on the couch?”

Minthe’s eyes widened and she choked on the self-congratulatory sip of coffee she’d just taken. Kore laughed, merrily. “I’m  _ kidding _ ! I’ll go and see what he needs. Probably just some filing. I hear he let go of his PA recently - hey, are you okay?” It was her turn to show fake concern, now: Minthe was still spluttering, her breath hitching and heaving uglily. Her mascara had smeared, Kore noted with satisfaction. “Hey! Can somebody fetch Mindy a glass of water?” she called, as a couple of heads prairie dogged up from beyond frosted partitions.

She sailed back to her desk, dropping the paperwork and heading straight for the elevator, ignoring the hissed conversation the secretary was having with another member of the team. She might end up paying for that remark. But oh, sometimes it was worth the punishment for the opportunity to get even - and that river nymph had been pretending not to know her name since the day they’d met.  _ She won’t forget it again _ , Kore thought smugly. She smiled at the elevator imp, asking sweetly for the floor above.

“One floor?” the creature asked, raising a brow.

“Girl, in these shoes?” She gestured to her feet. Her heels were, indeed, dangerously high. The imp looked down and made a face.

“Good point.” They shared a mischievous smile, before the elevator softly chimed and the doors slid open. She winked on her way out, her stiletto heels beating a sharp, echoing refrain from the glass walls of the unoccupied offices. There were dozens, yet only Hades and Hecate occupied any floor space here.

(She had teased Hades for that, once. That he’d built the top floor with space to be used by others, but couldn’t tolerate the idea of filling that space with other beings. He’d laughed along at the time, agreeing that company was too  _ untidy _ for his liking. It wasn’t until she had been drifting off to sleep in the comfort of her own bed, the soft, homely sounds of the others in the house coming together in a soothing nocturne, that she’d realised how his house was the same as the office, and how painfully lonely that must be.)

She looked out through the windows, surveying the kingdom around her as she aimed for the familiar office at the end of the corridor. The dark didn’t faze her half as much as she had expected it to. That being said, it never had. 

The once vacant desk in front of Hades’ office was occupied now, by a new, unfamiliar face. A shade, of all things. Kore stilled.

“Who are you?”

“A personal assistant, I am led to believe, my Lady” came the response. The girl - what was left of her, at any rate - gave Kore a smoky smile. “You find my presence here confronting.”

“True,” she admitted.  _ Better than the last girl, though, _ she wanted to add, but kept it to herself. “I didn’t think that you guys could -” she waved at the desk, at the technology. “You know. Adjust.”

The girl-thing spread her hands in a demonstrative manner. “I have inhabited this lower realm for many more years than I was ever alive. Change takes a long time in this place, but it is possible, for some.” She paused. “You seek an audience with the King.”

“Uh.”

The girl turned to the computer, her hair hanging in coils in the air behind her. “My Lady, how are you known? I must search for you.”

“Known? Uh, Kore, but -” she was abruptly cut off by the clacking of keys. She noted that the slim, modern computer that Minthe had favoured had been adapted: a heavy, curious hybrid of keyboard and antique typewriter dominating the desk space and hooked into the computer itself in a complicated, messy twist of wires.

“That name does not appear in this list. Do you have another?” 

“No,” she squeaked, as the shade fixed her with a suspicious look.

“Strange.” She frowned. 

“No, look - I don’t have an appointment, he’s looking for me. I was sent here.”

“I see.” The girl leaned back in her chair, fixing her with a gimlet eye. “His absence, then, is justified.”

“Absence?”

“He’s not here,” she clarified. “The King departed, not long ago, accompanied by the Goddess with three faces. Presumably, seeking you.”

Kore frowned and ventured a guess. “Hades is with Hecate.” The spectre nodded, wisps of smoke obscuring the motion. “Do you know where they went?”

“No.”

She couldn’t restrain a groan. “Fine. Okay. When he gets back, can you tell him that I’m in my office? I don’t have my own extension, so, just...ask him to email me or something.”

She nodded again. “I will do as you ask, my Lady.”

Kore headed back the way she came, irritation prickling under the surface. This fool’s errand that they both seemed to be running could be solved so  _ easily _ \- she could simply transfer to wherever he was, or vice versa. The problem, she had ascertained, was his company. To do so in front of Hecate would be to immediately inform her that an acquaintance of some kind existed between them, and Kore doubted that Hades was particularly keen on bringing Hecate’s attention to their involvement. Hecate who, beyond his brothers, was the closest thing that Hades had to a friend.

***

The desk at the front of the department was empty. Judging from the way the chair still slowly rotated, it had been vacated very,  _ very _ recently. Clearly, Minthe was keeping a low profile after his clear warning to her on the phone.

“Your Majesty,” a being asked, his eye blinking up at the two deities from behind a prodigious stack of files. “Can I help you?”

“Perhaps. I’m looking for the intern - a Miss Kore. The one from the Olympus programme. She works -”

“Oh, Kore? Yeah! She’s here today - I’ll show you to her desk. Follow me, please, your Majesty - my Lady Hecate.” He attempted to bow, and had to steady the files he carried with a third hand, before scurrying off between the cubicles.

Hecate grabbed Hades’ arm, holding him back for a moment. “Allow me to go, Hades. Alone. I run these types of errands much more frequently than you do - it will arouse less suspicion.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Less suspicion than us standing here in full view of the entire department, having this hushed conversation? Let’s just go get her.” He smiled at her reassuringly and followed where the short creature led.

Kore’s desk - cluttered, full of plants and coffee cups - was otherwise vacant. A stack of photocopying sat atop her keyboard, the thing beeping angrily as too many keys were pressed at once.

“Why am I not surprised,” he murmured, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, Aggie, have you seen Kore?” Hecate’s lips pressed together disapprovingly - their search was gaining far too many witnesses, and it was clear to read from her expression how she felt about it. 

The dryad didn’t pause to look up from her calculator. “Yeah, not too long ago. She dropped some photocopying and turned straight back around.” She scoffed. “Maybe she’s found somewhere with good selfie lighting and gotten distracted.”

“Aw, come on, she’s alright,” he protested. 

She shook her head dismissively, eyes still glued to the figures on her desk. “Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t got anything against Kore and she works harder than I thought she would, given her rep. But all these interns are the same, if you ask me. My wife works over in Pom and she sees a lot of them. The whole internship programme is just a waste of time. I don’t know why they bother sending these uppity OU kids to us, when it’s obvious they either spend the entirety of their term here shivering and terrified, or thinking they're taking some kind of walk on the wild side just by being here.”

“Thrilled to hear it,” Hecate trilled brightly. “Care to tell His Majesty what you think directly?”

Truthfully, he found the whole situation faintly embarrassing, and a pang of pity in his stomach made itself known. How humiliating. But it wouldn’t do to be seen as forgiving, so he remained silent, a smirk playing across his features.

She coloured, pressing her ears flat back against her head in shame, and looked around for her friend - who had made himself scarce with a mumbled comment about needing to get to a meeting. “No, ma’am,” she squeaked, clearly wishing for all the world that the ground beneath her would open up and swallow her whole.

“I think I’ve heard enough, Hecate,” he said dryly. “Agathe, isn’t it?” She nodded meekly. “Please, do let the  _ uppity OU kid _ know that she’s needed upstairs. I have some questions for her.” He cast around for a reason that wouldn’t arouse any suspicions. “Queries about seasonal magic.”

”I’m sure someone here could help you with that,” she managed, desperate to turn the conversation away from her prior impudence. “But if it’s Kore you need, she sometimes stops in at the coffee shop on sixty. You could check there.”

Hades was already leaving. He heard Hecate offer a word of thanks to the nymph and follow him, hot on his heels. She caught up to him at the elevator. “What are you doing?” she hissed. “This is entirely -”

The soft chime of the elevator interrupted her, and they stepped in. He fixed her with a steely glare and she halted for a moment. “Hecate, her mother has been keeping her in the dark for years. I’m sure that she thinks she has an excellent reason for it, too. I refuse to participate in that.”

Hecate scowled and said nothing.

***

Kore threw herself into her chair with a huff, and spun it childishly. Her neighbor had quietly informed her that Hades had been here looking for her, still accompanied by Hecate. This comedy of errors was only getting more farcical, and she’d had enough.  _ That’s it, _ she declared acidly to herself.  _ No more running around like a headless chicken. He wants me? He knows where to find me. _

She opened a reference book with vigour, intending to classify a range of samples she’d been sent photographs of, and perused the page intently. Well, as intently as a person who is staring blankly at a page can peruse.

She opened her email client.

**_From:_ ** [ **_kore@underworld.org_ ** **_  
_ ** ](mailto:kore@underworld.org) **_To:_ ** [ **_hades@underworld.org_ ** **_  
_ ** ](mailto:hades@underworld.org) **_Subject: Meeting_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Body:_ **

**_Sir,_ **

**_I seem to have missed you twice today. I checked my appointments for this afternoon and my calendar is entirely open - fill whichever slot you desire._ **

**_Yours,_ **

She frowned, lifting her fingers from the keys. He’d punish her for that, and not in a fun way. Tapping one finger idly on the space bar, she thought, and then redrafted.

**_Hades -_ **

**_I’m sick of running all over this building chasing you around like an idiot so I’m gonna wait at my desk_ **

No, that was worse. She grumbled under her breath and tapped the backspace key, this time, aiming for something a little more cool, a little more professional.

**_Your Majesty,_ **

**_Are you looking for me? Apologies - I think that we have narrowly missed running into each other a couple of times while we’ve been trying to find one another. When you’re back in your office, drop me an email and I’ll come straight up._ **

**_Best wishes,_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Kore._ **

She read it over three times before hitting send. That was professional, appropriate, right? She couldn’t run the risk of Hecate reading the email and inferring anything from it that she wasn’t meant to know. Her fingers itched to fetch her phone from her bag and simply text him. The absurdity of the situation wasn’t lost on her. Hecate clearly wanted to help Hades find her, yet if she left him to his own devices, they could be together in a matter of moments.

_ On the other hand, perhaps that should be reassuring _ , she considered.  _ Whatever it is he needs me for, it’s not more important than keeping our secret. _

But what exactly  _ was _ their secret these days? They still weren’t involved in anything beyond a sexual relationship, and as she’d said to Hera, she didn’t really want to be. And yet, the feeling that they could be something more lingered. That they  _ should _ be something more. As if they were standing on the precipice of something huge. She knew she cared deeply for him, and she’d known for a long time that those feelings were returned - since the day he’d told her that he didn’t want their involvement to be  _ casual. _ Since their lunch in the meadow.

That day had frightened him, Kore was sure of it. The tenderness she’d seen in him, the way he’d held her and spoken to her so softly, it was unlike anything she’d felt from him before. And then, like one bitten, he had leapt back from her and kept his distance emotionally for the weeks that followed. In some ways, she’d been hurt. However, the chance to examine her own feelings and to take a breather hadn’t been all bad.

Kore shook herself and returned to the work she’d laid out in front of her. Daydreaming about pleasant afternoons wasn’t helpful to anyone when there were samples to categorise, supervisors to impress, and bosses with ominous meetings hanging over her head.

***

“Have you gone completely berserk?” she shrieked, waving her hands in the air as she paced angrily. The coffee cup she clutched in her right hand spilled out onto her fingers, scalding her, and she hissed, slamming the thing down on his desk. She shook droplets onto the floor, her eyes glowing, her hair crackling with furious static. “This is dreadful for your image.  _ Dreadful. _ How many people in this building know that you’re looking for Kore now? The last time you went looking for someone personally was about thirty years ago for a firing. The woman had been stealing. This is the company that you’re placing Kore with by chasing around the building after her! You do realise that, don’t you?”

“I didn’t realise you kept tally,” he bit back.

“Well, I do! And so do other beings!” She fisted her hair in one hand, exasperated. “Hades, please. You know as well as I do that what you do matters. People notice you, people are interested in what you do. You’re the King, and this interest you’ve taken in Kore? People will catch on.”

He frowned. “What interest? I have a duty.”

Hecate rolled her eyes. “Oh,  _ please. _ You’re about as subtle as a brick. You’re interested in the girl, and you know what I mean.” She glared down at him, bracing her hands on his desk.

He tried to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come. It felt irreverent to what he had with Kore to outright deny its existence.

Her mouth fell open into a tiny  _ o _ of recognition. She sank into the chair behind her and clumsily pulled it forward, knocking her knees against the front of the desk in her agitation. “There’s something going on. I knew it.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” he responded curtly, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. 

Hecate leaned over and snatched one of his hands up between her own. “A thousand years. That was the last time you opened up to me. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know  _ why _ we aren’t friends anymore, but Aidoneus,  _ please. _ This is important. You know it is.”

He looked down at her hands clasping his. It felt foreign. “We  _ are _ friends, aren’t we?” he ventured, bringing his left hand up to rest it over hers. 

“I would like to think of us as friends,” she said honestly, “but true friendship requires a certain level of candour.” She squeezed his hand within her own. “You don’t have to tell me everything. But you play your cards so close to your chest. It would be nice to know a little more about you. If you’d let me help you with this.”

He considered it. How it would feel to let Hecate in - wise, acerbic, emotionally astute - but entirely disinterested in relationships, from what he’d gathered. How could she help him with this? Granted, he was no expert himself, but…

“I can’t,” he found himself saying, much to his surprise. Hurt flickered across her face momentarily, before she steeled herself with a brisk smile and began to withdraw from him. He held on. “Not yet,” he clarified. “It’s…”

“Difficult?” she volunteered, a wry smile drawing one corner of her mouth up. “Letting yourself be open and vulnerable will do that to a person, yes. Please, I’m not expecting a deluge all in one go, Hades. Just, tell me - I’m not wrong about you and the Goddess of Spring, am I?”

Hades closed his eyes. “You’re not wrong,” he ground out, reluctant to give up his secret -  _ their  _ secret. 

“She’s beautiful, intelligent, and has a wild streak a mile wide,” Hecate mused. “An interesting match for you. Not a pair I’d have stitched together myself, if I’m honest, but… I see some merits.” She leaned back in her chair, pondering for a moment. “I presume this has been going on for a little while?” He nodded. She thought for another moment, before a peculiar vexation made her scrunch her face up in a distinctly out of character manner. “Hold on. Wait. So you mean to tell me that this entire time you could have just texted her. Except you didn’t want me to catch on.”

He grimaced guiltily. “That sounds like an accurate surmisal of this afternoon’s exploits, yes.”

She threw her head back and laughed, before disappearing into thin air with an irritated sounding  _ pop _ .

Hades sighed. He’d have to deal with that later, but for the moment, he had more pressing matters, like  _ finally _ getting in touch with Kore about this whole name business. He checked his email and smiled at the remarkably polite message she’d sent. Now they could finally talk. He dug in his pocket for his cellphone, and unlocked it with a cursory swipe of his thumb. 

A flashing news notification on his desktop stilled his hand.

***

Dryope sidled over to her desk after a while. She hadn’t received an email. “Kore, have you checked your phone lately?” 

She looked up at her supervisor, frowning. “Huh? No, I’ve been up to my neck in leaf patterns, why?”

“I think you ought to, sweetheart.” Her tone was kindly, her expression unguardedly concerned - it gripped her firmly in her gut and pulled. This was unusual for Dryope. Something must be going on. Did it have anything to do with what Hades had been trying to reach her about? She scrabbled in the bottom of her bag for her cellphone, jostling aside notebooks and lip balms and moisturisers until she found it. 

“Oh, what the hell? Look at this!” She pointed her lock screen at Dryope, scrolling through the dozens of notifications. It vibrated almost constantly in her hand.

The nymph grimaced. “Yeah. Actually, if I were you, I’d maybe just turn that off. Here -” she leaned over and opened Oracle on Kore’s browser, typing in  _ The Weekly Nark Kore Hades _ -

_ Oh. _

_ Oh, Gods no. _

She clapped her hands to her face, feeling her cheeks burn under her palms as the cover photo loaded. The day in question stood out to her - she chilled, to think that it was only fifteen minutes ago that she had remembered this very moment so fondly. A moment that would forever be tarnished in her memory, by the sickening knowledge that they had been  _ watched _ . She stared, seeing the moment as an outsider, perceiving herself as a subject of the watchful eyes of others, as she had done many, many times before. But never like this.

She managed to hurriedly garble an apology to Dryope as she scrambled to her feet, barely making it to the nearest bathroom before emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She heaved until nothing else would come up and shakily got to her feet, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Hauling herself to her feet, wobbling in her heels, she managed to totter to the sink. She caught sight of her reflection - terrified, ashamed. This wouldn’t do. Rinsing her mouth with water from the tap, grimacing at the metallic taste, she spat into the basin and closed her eyes, centring herself - reaching for that part of her that she’d drawn upon in situations like this, in countless other moments when she’d needed to be brave, biting, ruthless. When she opened them, she faced the mirror. 

There she was, her other aspect, eyes vermilion, painted lips closed over a mouth that Kore knew held far too many teeth. She looked calmly out from behind the glass, quirking an eyebrow expectantly.  _ So people know. So what? _ she asked, cocking her head sweetly.  _ It’s not anybody else’s business who you're fucking, you dumb baby. Tell them whatever you want. Tell them something funny. They’ll print it like it’s gospel.  _ The smug figure in the mirror grinned back at her, the broad feral smile splitting her features into something simultaneously beautiful and terrible, and in an instant she was looking at herself once more, hair twisting in limp curls down to her chin.

“You know I can’t do that,” she whispered to her reflection, her voice too loud in the tiny room. She knew it was hopeless to expect much in the way of an answer - and the vicious, biting glee that washed over her for a fleeting moment was all the reply she would get from the more vicious parts of her personality that she worked fruitlessly to keep in check.

She’d have to think, to prepare, to be thoughtful, to work on her statement. It wasn’t just her reputation she had to maintain, this time.

A knock at the door jerked her back into the real world. “Kore?” a tentative voice called to her. “There’s two women here for you.”

Kore sighed deeply, almost reflexively lifting her hand to her mouth, chewing a fingernail - a habit she’d given up years before.

“I know who they are,” she replied, opening the door, head bowed. Two silvery oreads stood patiently - one held her purse gingerly in her hands. “Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m coming,” she told them grimly. “Can you tell Dryope something for me please? I’m really sorry, but I had to leave.” She looked up at the two nymphs, extending her hand expectantly for her purse. Wiping the damp curls away from her cheek and smoothing them behind her ear. She cleared her throat while smoothing her rumpled blouse and skirt, she blinked back the threat of tears. “It seems I’m expected at an emergency meeting with my mother in Olympus.”


	16. Extra! Extra!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to KG for being my general hype person and just a total angel on this one. It needed a lot of work and she just cut to the quick of it in moments. Thank u I love u ❤️❤️❤️

**_The Weekly Nark - Serving you the freshest gossip!_ **

_A ROLL IN THE HAY WITH HADES?_ _  
_ _KING OF THE UNDERWORLD CAUGHT CAVORTING WITH GODDESS NOT EVEN A TENTH HIS AGE!_

_Recently, Kore, everyone’s favourite little Goddess of Spring and divine diva, has been spotted having a particularly pleasant time in the fields of Olympus with the dread King of the Underworld, Hades himself. A close friend of Kore, who shares many college classes with the Barley Mother heiress, told the Weekly Nark that she hasn’t been her usual self ever since starting her internship at Underworld Corp. Perhaps work is distracting her - or, more likely, thoughts of a crown._

_Another source was happy to share some inside details about the usual placement of college students like Kore herself. They confided in The Weekly Nark that: “most interns start and finish their programme somewhere low level in Tower Block Two, making coffee somewhere for Pomegranate Customer Support. So to be dropped in at such a high level? It’s definitely raised a few eyebrows.”_

_Kore, the most recent Goddess to make her debut at the Panathenaea, has been the much beloved starlet of the media ever since her eighteenth birthday. To some, the age difference between Hades and his nubile new beau may be shocking, although that clearly isn’t holding them back. Sources close to Demeter suggest that the relationship has as of yet been a secret. What else might Kore be hiding from her mother?_

_Click through on the gallery below to see for yourself..._

**_READ MORE:_ ** _  
_ _Scylla and Charybdis - the monstrous truth_ _  
_ _Search for missing nymph called off, Zeus dismisses Olympian involvement_ _  
_ _The Norse pantheon’s top ten sexiest Gods and Goddesses_

***

**_Demeter >>_ ** Look what you’ve done.   
**_Hera <<_ ** Don’t blame me for this, Demeter. I didn’t even know they were dating - just that there was a potential connection between them. They're adults. They can do what they like.   
**_Demeter >>_ ** Adults? They’re a publicity nightmare. You had a hand in this, I know it.   
**_Hera << _ ** My only hand in this was to make you aware. By the looks of things, I did you a favour. Would you have preferred to learn of it from a friend or from the tabloids?   
**_Demeter >>_ ** You placed her in the Underworld for her internship. You might as well have topped her with a bow and sent her walking into his bedroom. I hold you responsible - we will talk more about this once I undo the damage you’ve done.

***

Hades covered his face with one hand, sighing deeply. He turned his computer monitor off and pushed back in his desk chair, as if putting distance between him and the innocuous piece of technology would help.

He’d known the moment he’d seen the notification it would be bad.

“I’ll presume that you finished reading it, then!” crowed the tinny, gleeful voice from his phone. Obviously, Zeus had demanded a conference call as soon as the article had hit his inbox, seconds after Hades had seen it himself. “Poseidon, I’ll give you a little longer, I know there’s some big words there. In fact, why don’t you call Amphitrite to read it to you? Everyone should read it. It’s a delightful article, truly, the pinnacle of journalism as we know it.”

“Fuck off, Zeus,” came the unflappable reply. “Of course I’ve read it. It’s pretty fucking shitty, like the majority of the stuff they write about us. She _is_ cute, though. Hades, what’re your thoughts, bro? You’re the one in the pictures.”

His mouth pressed into a thin, disapproving line before he gave his clipped, curt response. “I believe I’ve already given both of you all of the information about my involvement with Miss Kore as I had intended to provide.”

“But we deserve details! This is the first we’re hearing of it!” Zeus cried, his disappointment glaringly loud from the speaker, where his phone lay discarded on the desk.

“Precisely my point. The first _and_ the last you’ll hear of it.” He pressed the heel of his palm into an eye in a vain attempt to stave off a headache. _How could I let this happen?_

“Oh, you’re zero fun lately. And to think, I did you _such_ a favour with her. I can’t believe my own brilliance sometimes, really, I can’t.” The pride in Zeus’ voice was unmistakable.

“Do tell me, brother, how you can be so pleased with yourself while I have an image crisis that will have my PR team tearing their hair out,” he replied, his eyes resting on the big red _end call_ button on his screen.

“Well, I saw her that night at the party. I saw _you_ , seeing her, for that matter. When word got to me that she was tanked and needed to make an exit, it was the work of moments to have one of my staff safely place her in the back of your car instead of calling her a cab.” Hades could practically hear Zeus’ arrogant joy - could practically _see_ him leaning back in his office chair, steepling his fingers as if he were some cunning mastermind.

There was a stony silence, punctuated by a rolling clap of thunder in the distance. Zeus groaned.

“You know I hate it when you do that, Hades. Control your temper, storms are _my thing_ ,” he complained. “You talk constantly about your image - it looks dreadful for mine when you throw a tantrum like this.”

Poseidon spoke up. “Honestly? Sorry, dude, but I’m with Hades. That was uncool.”

“What?” It was so easy to provoke the ire of Zeus, Hades reflected: King of the Gods and petulant baby brother, one and the same. “I did the lonely bastard a favour and he repays me with holier than thou silence? When was the last time he even got laid before I worked my magic?”

“You’re out of line, Zeus,” he said mildly, another crack of thunder splitting the skies. 

“Oh, please. You’re so fucking uptight about getting your dick wet that you can’t even be grateful that I did something nice for you. I pulled strings for you. I got her in the backseat of your car. What, was she not a good lay? Or did she not put out and she’s making you work for it, is that it?”

“Poseidon, talk to him, if you would. If I have to listen to another disgusting comment out of his filthy mouth, I will seriously consider my options.”

“Your options?” Zeus sneered. “What options?”

“Don’t push me, Zeus. I am not a subject of Olympus, nor do I fear you.”

“What options, Hades?” he pressed again, defiant and arrogant, as always.

“The most compelling one involves tearing out your tongue, brother,” he said, his voice level, his free hand curling tightly into a fist on his desk. 

“You -” Zeus started, spluttering with indignant rage. 

Hades hung up.

The silence thickened around Hades as he contemplated the magnitude of his last words. He pressed his face into his hands, groaning quietly. This would not do. To be thrust into the fore of the Olympian press, in a situation he couldn’t control...

He had time for a half a heartbeat to contemplate the situation before him, when his phone rang again. He put it to his ear and waited.

“Your Majesty, you have a crisis on your hands,” came the low, calm voice of his most trusted advisor, “in the shape of some slightly compromising photos of you and a beautiful young intern, I understand. How _fortuitous_ that this isn’t the first I’m hearing of your match!” He could hear her sardonic grin at the other end of the line.

“Fortuitous. Indeed. The crisis has escalated beyond the photographs, I fear,” he replied. “Someone else will need to liaise with Olympus on behalf of the Underworld for a short while. I threatened to rip out Zeus’ tongue for the pithy commentary he helpfully volunteered on the situation.”

“Ah.” Hecate paused. “When did this happen?”

“Not two minutes prior to your call.”

Hecate was silent for another moment, clearly considering if she would get away with asking _why_ , before she decided against it and laughed. “I’m sure Poseidon will talk him down from waging war against the Underworld. Our forces far outweigh theirs, after all - the dead outnumber the living by quite a significant margin.”

He grinned, the tension in his shoulders relaxing minutely. “You’re right.”

“I try to make a habit of it,” she responded, her voice smooth. “Now, your text message suggested that you were seeking legal recourse. I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

“I thought that might be the case,” he admitted, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair. “Go on.”

“You were in Olympus, and the photographer is indeed one of Zeus’ subjects, so no grounds for extradition. You have no jurisdiction there, so our usual methods for this sort of thing would be received poorly. If anything, it’s remarkable how much freedom the press actually has in your brother’s kingdom, considering his own, ah - _predilections_. He didn’t break any laws; neither has the magazine. So, unless you feel like stirring up some controversy and bringing a rather tenuous accusation of xenia crimes against Zeus himself...”

“That wouldn’t hold any water, and even bringing a charge like that to court would set a dangerous precedent,” he sighed, massaging his temples.

“Along with deeply insulting your brother,” she said, her voice cheery.

“I did that once already today. Not a wise idea to do it again, I would wager,” he responded darkly, before changing the topic. “I get the impression you’re amused by this entire scenario, Hecate.”

“Absolutely not, your Majesty,” came her gentle reply. “The pictures are lovely, if you don’t mind my saying so. It’s a dreadful shame about the context in which they were taken. You both look very happy.”

“Well, this may bring an end to that. Our involvement was private because it was new, and you know how these things are.” He laughed humorlessly. “It’s a shame they never print the truth. But then again, I don’t imagine that a headline like ‘man goes out for lunch with a friend whom he happens to be attracted to, but nothing too serious is going on between them’ would really draw the readership, would it?”

“Headlines like that would certainly make newspapers thicker.” Hecate’s voice was light. There was a moment of silence as Hades contemplated. “That was a joke, your Majesty. You were supposed to laugh at the punchline.”

“Hmm,” he said. It was all he could muster, as he gave voice to the unpleasant guilty thought that was gnawing away at him. “Kore must want to crawl under a rock.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to discuss that with her. I couldn’t possibly comment.”

“I had considered that, Hecate, thank you,” he said tersely.

“Have you heard from her? No doubt she’s been contacted just as much as you have, if not more - her social media following is rather impressive.”

“She’s undoubtedly seen the article,” he agreed, tacitly ignoring Hecate’s inquiry.

She was not to be deterred. “I suppose I’m to take it that you _haven’t_ heard from her, then, your Majesty.”

“No.” He wondered why it mattered so much to him. Why _all_ of the things she did mattered so much to him. He had always been content alone, permitting people into his life on his terms. Then Kore had been thrust, unasked for, into his life. In these brief weeks (had it even been three months yet? He hadn’t kept track), he had grown remarkably fond of her - the real Kore, the woman behind the mask - and he found himself yearning for more. “I can only hope she will reach out to me when she’s ready. I expect she’s utterly mortified.”

“I’d expect so, too. But keep in mind that Kore doesn’t always behave as people expect her to. Have you considered that she is waiting for you to contact her?” Hecate’s suggestion was calm, devoid of judgement or criticism. He knew she was likely rolling her eyes on the other end of the line, but she wouldn’t let on.

His silence was the only reply she needed.

“Ah.” She paused for a moment, considering that and phrasing her next words very carefully. “Your Majesty, forgive me... You are aware it is the _situation_ that would be embarrassing for Kore, correct? Not the person that the situation involves?”

“They pointed out the age difference,” he said, grimly. “Perhaps she’s realised and thought better of it.”

“They also implied heavily that she’s gunning for a crown and that she doesn’t deserve the internship you gave her. I know at least one of those things isn’t true - I read Dryope’s reports, too - so that would speak for the veracity of the other, even if I didn’t trust your judgement.” Hecate sighed. “Contact her, Hades. The article is more damaging to her than it is to you, as it was always bound to be. She’s a young woman, and you’re...well, _you_.”

“I’ll message her,” he relented.

“Look, I know you prefer to deal with things independently, but call me if you need anything.” She was earnest. “I don’t mean procedural stuff or PR, either. Call on me.”

“Thank you, Hecate.” 

“Of course. I must leave you, though - spreadsheets wait for no man.” She chuckled as she hung up, and he immediately switched to his messaging client, before he found a reason to justify putting it off.

**_Hades >> _ ** _We need to decide how to respond to this. Call me when you’re available._ **_  
_** **_Hades >>_ ** _I hope you are alright._

He watched. And waited. After five solid minutes of waiting for the messages to deliver, he finally gave in to the urge he’d been resisting since the phone call with Zeus, and threw the phone across the room. It landed on the tiled floor across his office with an angry little clatter. He sighed, striding across the room to snatch it up off the floor. Berating himself internally for the impulsive, childish fit of pique, he sank into the couch and glumly fumbled for the TV remote, hiding somewhere amongst the coffee table books. The cupboard doors across from the couch slid open, revealing the wide screen that he rarely ever had occasion to use, and he flicked aimlessly through the channels. He looked at the screen for a while - it could have been minutes or hours, lulled into an uneasy doze by the rain on the tower block windows and the dull buzzing of indistinct voices from the TV.

He was roused by someone pounding on his office door like their life depended on it. Groggy, he got to his feet and made for the door - irritated to have to step over a sleeping Cerberus. _Some guardian_ , he thought wryly.

He opened the door a crack, ready to send whoever it may be packing - and found it forced open by a soaking wet Kore, mascara tracked down her cheeks and hair plastered to her head. He took a step back as she advanced into his office, dripping rainwater onto the tiles. A flash of lightning outside illuminated her from behind him, casting her agonised expression into sharp relief. She reached out for him and he enveloped her in his arms wordlessly, letting the door swing slowly closed behind her.

***

Upon getting out of the car, her security detail (or her handlers, as she’d come to think of them over the years) escorted her in through the back door of the house, to avoid the press lining the street outside the main entrance. 

“You’re to wait in your bedroom until your mother returns from Headquarters,” one of the nymphs - Kallivra, perhaps - told her firmly. She gave her a little push in the right direction, as if encouraging a toddler.

She ran through the corridors of her home, fleet footed, eyes prickling with humiliated tears. As soon as she closed the door to her bedroom, she stripped out of her work attire, feeling like a child playing dress up in the professional, muted tones she selected for her workplace. She redressed quickly, throwing on a pair of sweats and a tank top.

_**Kore >>** So I’m in trouble, huh   
**Eros <<** I’d say so baby girl 😬   
**Kore >>** Are you free to talk   
**Eros << ** You mean your mom isn’t about to confiscate your phone?   
**Kore << ** BITCH IM NOT TWELVE   
**Eros << ** LMAO _

_Incoming video call from:_ **_Eros_ **

As soon as they connected, the tight knot in Kore’s chest eased slightly. Eros lounged back on his bed, in amongst the sumptuous fabrics of various cushions and throws, the concern etched in the lines of his face a clear contrast with his relaxed position. “So…” he said, the single word dripping with invitation. 

Kore sighed, slumping down on the floor next to her bed. “I don’t know how to handle this. I can’t do what I usually do - this is so much worse than anything I’ve been caught doing before.” She clutched a pillow to her chest.

“I don’t know,” he countered dubiously. “It’s not as if you were fucking out in the open. By the way, you owe me big time, because I am absolutely dying to hear details about this and you’ve been totally hanging me out to dry. This information diet you’ve got me on is _terrible_ for my well being.” He sighed dramatically, the exhale clipping tinnily from her phone speaker

She laughed a little, biting her lip. “I wasn’t at liberty to talk about it. I already told you too much before.”

His eyes widened. “Oh my _goodness._ I hadn’t put the pieces together. I was trying not to, out of respect for your privacy, honestly, but - he’s - _Hades_? He’s the guy? Your -”

“Shut up!” she hissed, turning the volume down on her phone, as if this would mute him somehow in reality. “I _know_ the walls in your house have ears.”

Eros shrugged, unrepentant. “In this household, we love love. I’m not sorry.” He grinned. “But I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” she admitted, trying and failing to keep a straight face, despite herself. “But you know that nobody else can know, right? If any details of our sex life reach the press, I swear I’m done for. It’s bad enough as it is. My mother is gonna flip.” Kore grimaced, trying valiantly to avoid imagining her mother’s chastisement.

“Oh, Fates, she’s going to go berserk,” he agreed.

“I don’t know what to do - or even if I’m going to get a chance to do anything about it,” she corrected herself, darkly. “Spring isn’t too far away. I get this feeling we’re gonna be heading down to start prepping sooner rather than later.”

“Probably,” he reluctantly agreed.

“But more than anything, how do I handle this with Hades? I’m mortified. It was my idea to go there for lunch, and I _know_ how private he is. I never thought for a second we would be discovered there, and it was _weeks_ ago, so I can’t understand why they’ve waited until now to publish. I feel so stupid.” Her voice grew very small at this confession.

“Hey,” Eros soothed. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re allowed to go places with the guy you’re seeing. You just got unlucky.” He paused for a moment. “You don’t think he’ll be mad with you, do you?”

“Oh, Gaia, no. Not angry. He’s never _really_ angry with me. Just…”

Eros waited. The silence was comfortable, non-judgemental. She relaxed into their shared, quiet moment. This is why they were friends. He didn’t care what she did, just that she was okay.

“I don’t want him to be disappointed with me,” she eventually confessed, staring up at the ceiling. “He’s been so good to me. Like, I feel like I’ve learned so much about myself since we started seeing each other. He respects me and gives a shit about my opinions on stuff. He listens to me. I’d hate to lose that.”

Eros frowned. “I have a question.”

“Yeah?”

“Has he _asked_ you to keep things private?” He held up a hand as she opened her mouth. “No, hang on, let me clarify - not as in, asking you to be discreet in public, that’s sort of a given for all of us in the public eye. I mean, has he asked you to not talk to any of your friends about your involvement?”

“No, of course not.”

“Then _talk to us,_ ” he said, exasperated. “Or, at least, talk to me, if you're concerned about gossip spreading. You know I'll keep your secrets.” He paused. “Okay, I’ll hate every second of it, but I’ll _still_ keep your secrets,” he amended, giving her a droll little grin, before continuing. “But the problem is, you’re so afraid of failure that you shut your friends out of every decision you make. You don’t _have_ to do all of those things on your own - you _can_ let the people who love you help you.”

She huffed. “I know. But up until recently, I’ve sort of felt like if I don’t act right now, someone else will decide my course of action for me. And I hate it.”

There fell an uncomfortable silence as they both contemplated the elephant in the room.

Eros eventually broke it. “Kore, honey, I make enough problems for myself. I wouldn't dream of trying to solve yours, too.” His voice was too light, too jovial - but his attempt to lighten the mood worked. They laughed together. “I love you. But if you _do_ want my advice, I would say I’m not the person you need to be discussing this with. Take a five minute breather, put your big girl pants on and call your _Dom_.” He waggled his eyebrows. 

She tutted, rolling her eyes at his delighted expression. “You’re right. I should see if I can get in touch with him, before my Mama comes to kick my ass.”

“Good idea. Let me know how it goes. I love you!” He blew a kiss at the screen and disconnected.

She wriggled down until she was lying spread eagle on the floor, childishly kicking the heels of her feet against the rug underneath her. She looked around at the walls of her childhood bedroom. It was all she had ever known, beyond hazy memories of warm breezes from the mortal realm as a tiny child. It had seemed so huge, a limitless space for her, a space that no amount of toys or books or technology could ever possibly hope to fill. Now, as she looked around, the room felt cramped and stifling, like a skin she’d outgrown.

She checked her phone once more, to see two unread messages from Hades: they must have come in while she was on the phone with Eros. She swiped to open them, when the door to her bedroom opened, as was so often the case in this house, without so much as a knock. 

“Miss Kore, are you okay? Why are you on the floor?”

“I’m fine,” she snapped, scrambling to her feet. The nymph at the door cringed away from her - a young girl, newly tasked with attending Demeter, it seemed. And she’d already confirmed everything the child likely believed about her. She tried to soften her expression, but the damage was already done.

“The Lady Demeter is asking for you,” she said, rushing through her words. “She’s in the kitchen.”

_Give me five minutes, I have to make a phone call,_ she thought, knowing this would be an unacceptable response. She needed to be on her mother’s good side if this meeting were to go well. “Thank you,” Kore sighed. Usually the attendants would accompany her back to her mother, but this one wanted to disappear as soon as she could. “Would you tell her that I will be there in a moment?” The girl nodded and fled.

She took one lingering look at herself in the mirror, knowing that whatever she saw would elicit some criticism. Contrarily, she flipped a strand of hair across her parting, and begrudgingly began her descent through the house to the kitchen.

Turning the corner into the kitchen, she heard her name in muted, disparaging tones. It wouldn’t take a genius to recognise who the voice belonged to.

“Hi, Mama.” She stood at the kitchen table where her mother sat, and wondered to herself when the last time they had a real conversation was. Not the night after the Panathenaea - Demeter hadn’t said a single word to her until three days later. Was it the time she smashed a photographer’s camera for trying to take a photograph up her skirt as she exited a cab, then? Kore wracked her brain. She came up empty.

“My baby.” Demeter smiled, but her expression did not reach her eyes. “Come here.” She held out her arms, and Kore took a step towards her. She grasped Kore firmly by the shoulder with one hand, smoothing the errant lock of hair into its regular position with the other. “Let’s talk, shall we?” 

It wasn’t a question. 

Grabbing Kore by the hand, not unkindly, she led the two of them into her home office, gesturing to the chair opposite her desk. Kore sat, pulling it up close. She clasped her hands nervously, placing them on the cool wood of the table top.

“Mama, I -” she started, knowing that no matter what her opening statement was, she wouldn’t get to finish it. Demeter leaned across the huge desk and patted her hand, in a gesture that was intended to be comforting.

“Darling, I think the first thing that we do is arrange alternate provision for your internship.” Kore chewed the inside of her lip. “Clearly, it’s not a good fit for you, as I knew it wouldn’t be from the start, but Hera _insisted._ I’m sorry, my little bean.” 

She looked over, and her insincere version of sympathy began to brew something ugly in the pit of Kore’s stomach. She bit her tongue. 

Demeter continued. “And then, we’ll get that awful rag to print a retraction of that article. The photographs must be of some naive little flower nymph, too simple to know what she’s getting herself in for with _him._ ” She shuddered dramatically. “It’ll take a little greasing of the palm to encourage the magazine to fire the photographer who doctored those images up, but money is no issue when it comes to protecting my girl.”

“Mama, you know those pictures are of me.” Kore’s voice was monotone. She stared into her own lap.

Demeter looked shocked, pressing her hand to her chest. “ _Darling_ \- of course they’re not!” Her eyes were round, shining with artificial pain. “How could they _possibly_ be of you? You’ve been wild in the past, but fraternization with that man is a little beyond the pale, don’t you think?”

“No, it’s not.” She could feel the thorny vines writhing their way free from her hair, twisting ugly snarls into her curls. “And you know, you can call him Hades - that’s his name.”

“I refuse to hear that - that _pervert’s_ name in my house, Kore,” Demeter spat, half rising out of her seat, before forcing herself to settle, fingers gripping the arms of her chair so tightly that the fern green skin of her knuckles turned an ugly, livid white. She’d touched a nerve. And now she had a choice: to pick at it and to make something ugly out of it, or to take the high ground.

And it would be so _easy_ , too. To call her out on these amateur dramatics, to scream and shout and refuse to play her game. But a raw, wounded place in her psyche reminded her of her childhood, of warmth and comfort and affection, and it longed, ardently, for reconciliation.

She forced a sigh between her teeth, counting down slowly from ten. “Mama, please. Don’t call him that - I really like him.”

This only infuriated Demeter more. She laughed, incredulity dripping from her tone. “You _really like him_ ? Kore, sweetheart, you’re barely into your third _decade_ of life. You are so young _._ You can’t possibly understand these things.”

“I’m an adult, mama!” Kore clenched her fists, willing herself to remain seated. “If you’d just listen to what I had to say, please?”

Demeter smiled, her face already composing itself into the expression of a parent about to indulge her child. “Of course, darling.” 

The thing inside her howled to be free. The refrain of _people don’t treat you like this_ beat against her chest, and she took a steadying breath. Her fingernails dug into the palms of her hands. _This isn’t some reporter,_ she reasoned. _This is my mother._

“Can we talk about the internship first?” She met her mother’s steely gaze. Kore knew that she would have to pick her battles very carefully here.

“You asked me to listen to you. Why are you asking me what we should talk about, dear?” Demeter’s voice was patient, her smile less so.

“Alright,” she clarified, rattled. “Let’s talk about that first. I want to stay where I am until I finish my allotted hours.” 

“Why?” came the response. “You can’t mean to tell me you enjoy getting coffee for lesser beings.”

“That’s not what I do,” she contested, struggling to keep her voice measured. “Working in the Underworld, understanding the impact of natural disasters on the ecology of the mortal realm, it’s been really beneficial to my studies. I was even thinking of basing my final project on the work I’ve been helping with at a lake in the mortal realm, so if I’m made to change my internship placement now, that will totally ruin the proposal I’ve already handed in.”

“Proposals are just that, darling child: proposals. They can be changed.” Demeter waved her hand as she said this, as if to bat the problem away. 

“But that’s the point, Mama. I don’t want to change it. I’m enjoying the work I’m doing. I’m helping people - the people in my department like me.”

Demeter scoffed, a picture of derision. “They _like you?_ Why does that matter? The question you ought to be asking is this: do they _respect_ you?” She sniffed, her mouth an angry twist of disgust. “And doubtless they’ve all seen that article, now. There’s only so much influence I have - I can’t change the opinions of everyone. No, you’ll be much better off finishing your internship at Barley Mother, as I always intended for you.”

“I won’t do it, mother,” Kore replied, staring down into her lap. She noted that her fingernails had bitten into her palms so viciously that she had broken the skin in places. She opened her hand and stared blankly at the gold welling up from the crescent moon shaped indentations in her skin. She looked down to note that the floor around her bare feet had sprouted brambles. They were knee height already, and slowly coiling around themselves, alive, thriving. Her mother hadn’t noticed, thankfully - shame twisted her stomach into a tight knot. She tried to stop their growth, to stem it, to do _something_ , but the thorny vines seemed independent of her will. She realised, half a second too late, that Demeter had started talking again, and looked up guiltily at her.

“You claim to be an adult and you ignore me and sulk like a child, Kore!” She threw her hands up in front of her and sat back into her chair, lacing her fingers in her lap. “I don’t see how you can be trusted to make your own decisions when you can’t even be trusted to advocate for yourself in a conversation with your mother. You have an awful lot more growing to do before you are sensible enough to make these kinds of choices. I’ll call your college tomorrow and make the appropriate arrangements, and from next week you’ll be interning with my company.”

“No.” She knew she was losing control, even as she struggled to maintain it. She could feel the shift in her appearance, the red creeping across her vision, and the moment her mother saw, Kore knew the conversation would be over. She closed her eyes.

“Kore, look at me.”

She breathed. The vines undulated across her lap. They prickled unpleasantly against her skin.

Her mother tutted. “Really, this is most unbecoming.”

“What, and you expect me to control myself? You’ve been doing such a good job of doing that for me, mother, really, I’ve never had to,” she spat, her voice alarmingly loud in her own ears.

“Kore!”

“This is my education. My internship. My responsibility, my _life_. And I’m going to make this choice for myself. I’m staying at Underworld Corp.”

“Why on earth would I let you make that mistake?” Demeter leaned back in her chair, every inch the corporate mogul. Kore searched, desperately for anything that might be considered motherly in Demeter, and couldn’t hold back the sob of distress that forced its way up her throat.

“You’ve never let me make _any_ mistakes on my own!” she shrieked, hot tears spilling over onto her cheeks, a thorny tuber coiling around the pot of pens on the desk and pulling it over - the clatter of stationery across the desk betraying her more loudly than her tears. Demeter’s expression grew pitying, chiding.

“Kore, dearest, really,” she said reprovingly, taking on the measured intonation of a school teacher scolding a tiny child. “You must control this. Remember your lessons, hmm?”

She moaned, balling her hands into fists and pressing them to her eyes “No, mama! That’s not the point! You’re not listening to me!”

“I won’t engage in a discussion with you when you’re misbehaving like this, Kore,” her mother replied coolly, brushing Kore’s vines from her desk and uprighting the pot. “When you’re ready to talk like a grown up, dearest, we can try again.” 

Kore noted, with a rising fury she could not abate, that the item she had knocked over in her distress was one that she had made at school in her earliest years. She rose from her seat and plucked it from her mother’s hands, running her thumbs across the rough surface of the earthenware.

Her own voice was alien to her ears when she spoke again, strangled and hoarse. “You just wish that I’d stay like this.”

“Truthfully, it would be preferable if you stopped filling my office with blackberries, Kore-cob.”

“You don’t understand me,” she rasped, an hysterical laugh catching in her throat. “I don’t mean like this.” She cast an arm around at the room, down at herself. “I mean like _this._ ” She thrust the pot out, turning it over to reveal the tidy hand of her teacher: _Kore, 6._ “This Kore.” Demeter reached out to take the thing back, and spite crashed against her insides. She held it tightly, and stepped backwards.

“You’re being childish now,” Demeter snapped, rounding the desk and advancing on Kore, her face stormy, her trousers snagging on thorns as she picked through the undergrowth, so out of place in her mother’s orderly domain. “This is why you have such problems, Kore, this is why I have to give you so much help! You have no respect for authority, and you can’t manage anything difficult on your own. You’re irresponsible -”

The look on Demeter’s face was one of horror when Kore dropped the thing, morphed into one of exquisite agony when it _crunched_ , crushed amongst the roiling mass at her feet. “And cruel,” she finished, her expression frozen, her eyes wild and shining.

Kore opened her mouth to apologise, to explain that she hadn’t meant it, to capitulate in a hundred different ways. But she’d gone and done it now; flying blind in a disaster of her own making. Nothing could undo it. And so the words that came spilling out were as unknown to her as a foreign tongue. 

“I can manage difficult things without you. But I’m not so sure that you can manage without me anymore. Do Spring by yourself this year.”

She shuddered as she turned her gaze inwards, reaching for, the foul, quelling force she’d drawn on before at the lake, and as she grasped it, the thicket of brambles at their feet withered and crumbled into dust, leaving only gouges on the hardwood floor to indicate their presence. 

_(She remembered that as a child, she’d once shown her mother that she was capable of this - coaxing a plant through its entire life cycle in the palm of her hand, sprouting, flowering, fruiting and fading in the passage of mere seconds, a new skill she felt far surpassed all else she’d ever done. The horror and anguish etched into Demeter’s expression told her starkly that she had been wrong, only reinforced by her punishment.)_

The broken pottery clattered to the floor, and the sound dragged her back into the present. She looked her mother in the eye and yanked herself _out_ , out of Demeter’s compound, aiming indistinctly for the place she felt most safe, landing unsteadily just beyond the gates of Hades’ sprawling urban palace.

The rain soaked through her thin clothes in moments, quenching her ire and leaving only misery in its wake. What had she done? 

As affected as she was by the altercation with her mother, she’d gotten her transference wrong - an insult to the injury she’d already sustained this evening. Grumbling to herself, she wrapped her arms around her body and padded up the path to Hades’ front door, the crushed shells shifting beneath her bare feet. Oddly poetic, she felt, considering her current situation. The house loomed in front of her, all sharp lines, solidity, certainty, and part of her relaxed minutely, untwisting in the knowledge that she would be with Hades in moments. He would know what to do. She reached up and pressed the bell at his door, and waited.

The movement in the darkness behind the frosted glass that usually heralded Hades’ coming was conspicuous in its absence. As seconds stretched into minutes, she worried her lower lip between her teeth. Panic began to rise in her chest, pressing on the inside of her ribs. She didn’t know the time - she’d left her cellphone behind. Maybe he was still at work: it wouldn’t be unlike him to still be at the office at this hour.

All she wanted was to be held by him, to have him soothe her, his deep voice and his gentle hands a balm to the aching of her soul.

She cast out again, exhausted, reaching specifically for him, shakily attempting to hold onto his voice, his scent, his solidity, and she pulled once more.

This time she landed on all fours, somewhere on floor ninety nine of Tower Block One. She trembled, nauseated, and her stomach turned in on itself uneasily as if to remind her that it had already voided itself once today, and would quite readily do so again, were she to continue putting her body under such strain. 

She struggled to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest as she approached the office at the end of the corridor. Belatedly, she realised that she had never responded to his text messages from earlier. Her very skin prickled with fear. Would he berate her, too? Worse, would he turn her away? Would he be _ashamed_ of her? 

The warring emotions she grappled with gave her pause, even as her hand was outstretched to push the door open. Her breath caught in her throat and she wondered, wildly, if she wasn’t entirely overstepping here. If this wasn’t something she should be handling on her own. Bitterly, part of her recognised that she had told her mother that she could handle herself, and had instead immediately headed for the guidance and protection of another. She hovered, indecisive.

_Let the people who love you, help you_. She recalled Eros’ face, the certainty in his expression as he’d said the words.

She pounded on the door, and in seconds, she stood face to face with Hades. He took her in - her dripping clothes, her long, tangled hair - and opened his arms to her. Kore fell into him, a choked cry escaping from between her lips. 

“Of all the times to start knocking, my Kore,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, the last thing she heard before tears overcame her and she let herself be pulled under.


End file.
